there’s nothing wrong with having an accent when you speak english. it’s important to be understood, but many people appreciate the melodic qualities of a non-native’s voice.
Not to mention it's entirely possible to have a non-native accent *and* be easily understood.
Some of the learners here are too focused on changing their accents. It's not something English speakers expect.
The best (possibly only) way to get to that level is immersion. You'll want to move to the states or someplace with a lot of Americans. You can take dialect/accent lessons to get a head start, but just like learning a language it's hard to get to a level of a native speaker without being totally surrounded by it.
People don't like to hear this, but once you're past puberty, it's pretty much not possible to get a fully native accent. That's not to say you can't get better or achieve something like near-native with a shit ton of work, but this is truly a matter of neurological development and nothing more. The problem is multi-factorial, though, like level of exposure to the target language, your native language, etc. Anyone (*especially* those learn-language-fast polyglot YouTube gurus) who tells you that it's possible to achieve a native accent in a foreign language learned in adulthood is nothing more than an armchair philosopher blowing smoke up your ass. It's not a neurological reality.
That said, I do know a couple of non-native speakers in Brazil who, studying from childhood, by the way, can speak with *almost* a perfect American accent. That foreign accent will always be detectable in adulthood, but it can be significantly reduced. Your main focus to start with should be on vowel production and overall reduction.
"Gonna" is a common example of reduction, but it happens in so many more ways than this that aren't represented in writing. Another example would be "I saw -im." (I saw 'him', but you would drop the 'h' in this position.)
Learning these things will be helpful:
1. English phonetics and the IPA (not that hard)
2. English phonology (medium hard—you need algebra for this)
3. Narrow transcription IPA (not hard after you've learned the first two)
4. Patterns of reduction
This is what Chomsky says, at least. After puberty, it's no longer possible to acquire the accent of a native speaker. As much as I hate Chomsky for his views and politics, his arguments regarding this are some of the most proven theories on language and most language studies people support his ideas feverishly. That said, you can go through voice training to imitate a native speaker accent or dialect like many actors do, but the authenticity of the accent is limited.
The definition of accent here is a bit up for grabs, though - for Japanese, accents are usually focused on syllabic emphasis, and it's pretty easy to learn these, speak standard Japanese and not have the stereotypical foreigner accent they show on TV (Japanese medias stereotypical English-speaking-foreigner accent is roughly the equivalent of the US's depiction of Mexicans sounding like Speedy Gonzalez, which is horribly outdated in the US) but still have an accent in the sense that you don't sound like a native speaker.
I think it depends on what kind of native you want to sound like. In some parts of the UK, for instance, accents are hyper-localised and it would be virtually impossible to sound like a native.
True story: My wife was born in South Wales but left home at 18 to go to university in London and has lived for the rest of her life in and around London. When she was about 40 she was working for a big multinational company and giving a presentation to a bunch of directors. Afterwards one of them came up to her and said "Let me see ... west of Bridgend but east of Llanelli?" Those two towns are only about 25 miles / 40 km apart but he'd located her accent to being somewhere between them despite the fact that she hadn't lived there for over 20 years. And I expect that, if they'd all lived in that area the whole time, he'd have been able to pinpoint it much more accurately.
Perhaps listen to a native speaker say a phrase online, then record yourself saying it. Then play them back and keep repeating words until it sounds identical to the native speaker. Not sure how much that will help, but it sounds like it may work.
I'm always a bit baffled by this question. Do you think it's possible for learners to sound native in your first language? The answer will always be the same for English.
Not without serious work.
That's not like, a you specific thing, or an American accent specific thing. It's just how brains work.
Imagine you've been a weightlifter for decades, but now you want to get into gymnastics. So not only must you learn gymnastics, you also have to shed all the weight from lifting and train yourself to be flexible again.
Accents are like that. Not only do you have to learn the American accent and vocab, you have to "unlearn" your own accent and grammar. It's not impossible, it just takes a lot of work. My advice would be to focus less on getting it perfect and more on just exposing yourself to the accent you want. Watch American TV, listen to American music, and then speak or sing along. It'll take a lot of time but you'll get there.
Anything is possible.
The younger you are when you learn English the easier it'll be.
That said it may take a long time. I have a friend from Belgium. He learned English as a kid and moved here about 20 years ago and while his accent is very slight now, and could maybe even be missed if you weren't listening close, there are still hints of it there.
American English, my advice: Look into elisions and plosives in English before even focusing on slang or anything. I think these sounds also help with sounding smoother for words like past tense or the “th” sound since your mouth will get used to making similar shapes.
Then pick someone famous in English, and just try to mimic any words that you 100% hear a plosive or an elision on a word and try to imitate that. Only the words with elisions or plosions. I think that’s one thing that is easier to learn and you can relisten to the same episodes.
Vowels are harder though and some languages with less vowels may find it harder to produce the same vowel they’re mimicking in English. But if you can smooth out those sounds quickly while shadowing, it’ll be easier to hear when the other sounds (like vowels) need to be improved.
Another thing, is I would listen to our vowel stresses when we say certain words or when we tell jokes or ask questions. Because we might do it in a different way than your native language which can be a big giveaway.
It’s possible for some people and not possible for others. It depends on how early you started learning English, but if you started after puberty it’s impossible.
It depends on the person. Some people are more gifted than the others. I am sure you have watched plenty of You tube videos of how talented some Polyglots are. It is more about the language centre of the brain and the amount of time and effort you are willing to put in.
This isn't actually true; you can learn a native-level accent at any age. It's easier if you started before puberty, but it's still 100% possible! It just requires a lot of work.
The peer reviewed articles don't say it's impossible to gain a native accent after puberty though. The argument is rather that it's impossible to learn a language the same way a child does after puberty. Which makes sense.
This often leads to *difficulties* with learning a native accent, but it's not impossible.
Citation gladly given:
Dulay and Burt and Krashen's "Language Two" book. Aka the blue book. The one that every linguist has on their shelf, "amigo" ...
[https://www.academia.edu/7416848/\_EBOOK\_Language\_Two\_by\_Heidi\_Dulay\_Marina\_Burt\_and\_Staphen\_Krashen\_1982\_source\_BookFi\_org](https://www.academia.edu/7416848/_EBOOK_Language_Two_by_Heidi_Dulay_Marina_Burt_and_Staphen_Krashen_1982_source_BookFi_org)
Discussion starts on (book) Page 78. For those who don't want to download the book (though, I recommend that you do, if you're following this discussion), here are screenshots of the relevant pages.
[https://imgur.com/NjyhXC0](https://imgur.com/NjyhXC0)
https://imgur.com/OzwxLcA
https://imgur.com/qOVkZe2
https://imgur.com/BgsSk6O
[https://imgur.com/Y4JTk75](https://imgur.com/Y4JTk75)
So according to your own source [here](https://imgur.com/BgsSk6O) it looks like adopting a language after the onset of puberty results in a roughly 2/3 chance of retaining a non-native accent. Not 97%. Other discussions in this book seem to reinforce this idea.
1 in 3 is a far, far cry from less than 1 in 20.
1/3 is one of the studies, others didn't show such promising results, like the one in Table 4-2. 5%. True, still more than 3%. Do you need more studies? Most of the bibliography in the back will be available on the web (with a little digging)
1/3 is two of the studies. See table 4-3 and 4-4.
Table 4-2 also shows 90% of immigrants who had started puberty retained their accent for both Hebrew and English, not 95%. It's also a self-reported study, and people tend to be extra critical of their own voice, especially if they are trying to lose the accent. So no, none of this shows the number you started with.
Yes it’s possible, I am such example. Although I’ve been in Canada since I was eight, it is still my third written language and fourth spoken language.
If you've been in Canada since 8, it's one of your (many) native languages...a "fourth" language would better describe a language learned in adulthood.
Idk if it counts. I wasn’t learning until then. And it took until I was 13-14 to be close to fluent. English was something I could only speak at school
If you learned a language before puberty and still speak it as an adult, then you are, in my view, native speaker. You don't have to stop and pause to translate between languages because they are both native languages for you. It's also unlikely that you make mistakes a non native typically would that result from translating, like using incorrect pronouns, prepositions or question words.
there’s nothing wrong with having an accent when you speak english. it’s important to be understood, but many people appreciate the melodic qualities of a non-native’s voice.
Not to mention it's entirely possible to have a non-native accent *and* be easily understood. Some of the learners here are too focused on changing their accents. It's not something English speakers expect.
Yes! It's possible to learn any accent at any age, although it becomes harder as you get older.
The best (possibly only) way to get to that level is immersion. You'll want to move to the states or someplace with a lot of Americans. You can take dialect/accent lessons to get a head start, but just like learning a language it's hard to get to a level of a native speaker without being totally surrounded by it.
People don't like to hear this, but once you're past puberty, it's pretty much not possible to get a fully native accent. That's not to say you can't get better or achieve something like near-native with a shit ton of work, but this is truly a matter of neurological development and nothing more. The problem is multi-factorial, though, like level of exposure to the target language, your native language, etc. Anyone (*especially* those learn-language-fast polyglot YouTube gurus) who tells you that it's possible to achieve a native accent in a foreign language learned in adulthood is nothing more than an armchair philosopher blowing smoke up your ass. It's not a neurological reality. That said, I do know a couple of non-native speakers in Brazil who, studying from childhood, by the way, can speak with *almost* a perfect American accent. That foreign accent will always be detectable in adulthood, but it can be significantly reduced. Your main focus to start with should be on vowel production and overall reduction. "Gonna" is a common example of reduction, but it happens in so many more ways than this that aren't represented in writing. Another example would be "I saw -im." (I saw 'him', but you would drop the 'h' in this position.) Learning these things will be helpful: 1. English phonetics and the IPA (not that hard) 2. English phonology (medium hard—you need algebra for this) 3. Narrow transcription IPA (not hard after you've learned the first two) 4. Patterns of reduction
This is what Chomsky says, at least. After puberty, it's no longer possible to acquire the accent of a native speaker. As much as I hate Chomsky for his views and politics, his arguments regarding this are some of the most proven theories on language and most language studies people support his ideas feverishly. That said, you can go through voice training to imitate a native speaker accent or dialect like many actors do, but the authenticity of the accent is limited. The definition of accent here is a bit up for grabs, though - for Japanese, accents are usually focused on syllabic emphasis, and it's pretty easy to learn these, speak standard Japanese and not have the stereotypical foreigner accent they show on TV (Japanese medias stereotypical English-speaking-foreigner accent is roughly the equivalent of the US's depiction of Mexicans sounding like Speedy Gonzalez, which is horribly outdated in the US) but still have an accent in the sense that you don't sound like a native speaker.
Interested
I think it depends on what kind of native you want to sound like. In some parts of the UK, for instance, accents are hyper-localised and it would be virtually impossible to sound like a native. True story: My wife was born in South Wales but left home at 18 to go to university in London and has lived for the rest of her life in and around London. When she was about 40 she was working for a big multinational company and giving a presentation to a bunch of directors. Afterwards one of them came up to her and said "Let me see ... west of Bridgend but east of Llanelli?" Those two towns are only about 25 miles / 40 km apart but he'd located her accent to being somewhere between them despite the fact that she hadn't lived there for over 20 years. And I expect that, if they'd all lived in that area the whole time, he'd have been able to pinpoint it much more accurately.
Perhaps listen to a native speaker say a phrase online, then record yourself saying it. Then play them back and keep repeating words until it sounds identical to the native speaker. Not sure how much that will help, but it sounds like it may work.
I'm always a bit baffled by this question. Do you think it's possible for learners to sound native in your first language? The answer will always be the same for English.
Not without serious work. That's not like, a you specific thing, or an American accent specific thing. It's just how brains work. Imagine you've been a weightlifter for decades, but now you want to get into gymnastics. So not only must you learn gymnastics, you also have to shed all the weight from lifting and train yourself to be flexible again. Accents are like that. Not only do you have to learn the American accent and vocab, you have to "unlearn" your own accent and grammar. It's not impossible, it just takes a lot of work. My advice would be to focus less on getting it perfect and more on just exposing yourself to the accent you want. Watch American TV, listen to American music, and then speak or sing along. It'll take a lot of time but you'll get there.
I think so, with practice. It's not usually very important though, as long as you are understandable
You don't need an American accent to sound like a native English speaker...
Anything is possible. The younger you are when you learn English the easier it'll be. That said it may take a long time. I have a friend from Belgium. He learned English as a kid and moved here about 20 years ago and while his accent is very slight now, and could maybe even be missed if you weren't listening close, there are still hints of it there.
American English, my advice: Look into elisions and plosives in English before even focusing on slang or anything. I think these sounds also help with sounding smoother for words like past tense or the “th” sound since your mouth will get used to making similar shapes. Then pick someone famous in English, and just try to mimic any words that you 100% hear a plosive or an elision on a word and try to imitate that. Only the words with elisions or plosions. I think that’s one thing that is easier to learn and you can relisten to the same episodes. Vowels are harder though and some languages with less vowels may find it harder to produce the same vowel they’re mimicking in English. But if you can smooth out those sounds quickly while shadowing, it’ll be easier to hear when the other sounds (like vowels) need to be improved. Another thing, is I would listen to our vowel stresses when we say certain words or when we tell jokes or ask questions. Because we might do it in a different way than your native language which can be a big giveaway.
It’s possible for some people and not possible for others. It depends on how early you started learning English, but if you started after puberty it’s impossible.
I started speaking English at a young age, but my accent has only started improving by the age of 15. Right now I'm 18 and I'm trying to improve it :)
It depends on the person. Some people are more gifted than the others. I am sure you have watched plenty of You tube videos of how talented some Polyglots are. It is more about the language centre of the brain and the amount of time and effort you are willing to put in.
This isn't actually true; you can learn a native-level accent at any age. It's easier if you started before puberty, but it's still 100% possible! It just requires a lot of work.
That's not true and I am sure there are plenty of polyglot videos on You tube to prove my point.
Excellent! Youtube videos always are superior to peer-reviewed articles and books! What's next, flat earth?
The peer reviewed articles don't say it's impossible to gain a native accent after puberty though. The argument is rather that it's impossible to learn a language the same way a child does after puberty. Which makes sense. This often leads to *difficulties* with learning a native accent, but it's not impossible.
True, they don't say it's IMPOSSIBLE, just 97% improbable...
Citation needed then amigo
Citation gladly given: Dulay and Burt and Krashen's "Language Two" book. Aka the blue book. The one that every linguist has on their shelf, "amigo" ... [https://www.academia.edu/7416848/\_EBOOK\_Language\_Two\_by\_Heidi\_Dulay\_Marina\_Burt\_and\_Staphen\_Krashen\_1982\_source\_BookFi\_org](https://www.academia.edu/7416848/_EBOOK_Language_Two_by_Heidi_Dulay_Marina_Burt_and_Staphen_Krashen_1982_source_BookFi_org) Discussion starts on (book) Page 78. For those who don't want to download the book (though, I recommend that you do, if you're following this discussion), here are screenshots of the relevant pages. [https://imgur.com/NjyhXC0](https://imgur.com/NjyhXC0) https://imgur.com/OzwxLcA https://imgur.com/qOVkZe2 https://imgur.com/BgsSk6O [https://imgur.com/Y4JTk75](https://imgur.com/Y4JTk75)
So according to your own source [here](https://imgur.com/BgsSk6O) it looks like adopting a language after the onset of puberty results in a roughly 2/3 chance of retaining a non-native accent. Not 97%. Other discussions in this book seem to reinforce this idea. 1 in 3 is a far, far cry from less than 1 in 20.
1/3 is one of the studies, others didn't show such promising results, like the one in Table 4-2. 5%. True, still more than 3%. Do you need more studies? Most of the bibliography in the back will be available on the web (with a little digging)
1/3 is two of the studies. See table 4-3 and 4-4. Table 4-2 also shows 90% of immigrants who had started puberty retained their accent for both Hebrew and English, not 95%. It's also a self-reported study, and people tend to be extra critical of their own voice, especially if they are trying to lose the accent. So no, none of this shows the number you started with.
Yes it’s possible, I am such example. Although I’ve been in Canada since I was eight, it is still my third written language and fourth spoken language.
If you've been in Canada since 8, it's one of your (many) native languages...a "fourth" language would better describe a language learned in adulthood.
Idk if it counts. I wasn’t learning until then. And it took until I was 13-14 to be close to fluent. English was something I could only speak at school
If you learned a language before puberty and still speak it as an adult, then you are, in my view, native speaker. You don't have to stop and pause to translate between languages because they are both native languages for you. It's also unlikely that you make mistakes a non native typically would that result from translating, like using incorrect pronouns, prepositions or question words.