I used to have this obsession with the accent and i felt embarrassed talking with a native English speaker. But. i realised that we learne a new language to communicate with other and not to pretend we are British or Americans. Leaving apart that the most of the times we talk with non native English speakers. For me the goal is to undestand and be understood by other in a natural and comfort way.
... The question of accents in a language is fascinating. Every person speaks a language in a very personal way. English as a lingua franca is spoken in many countries around the world with many different accents. I prefer the general American English accent. It is the most widespread and, after all, I live in the United States.
Hello, I want to thank you for the videos. I still can't watch all of them because I am learning the basics of English, building the foundation so I can benefit from the videos.
You are most welcome. People use these and other videos in a variety of ways. Some slow down the speed to capture the understanding. Others watch repeatedly. Some videos will be easier to understand after your level in English has grown. Thank you for your support.
I live in Bangladesh and the American/Canadian accent is the sweetest English accent in the world which should be nurtured and should not be changed. If you allow anyone to keep their own accent when they move into the United States, that means you are letting your accent + English polluted by foreign invasion. This sweet accent won't exist in a few decades if you keep allowing new accents to dominate you. Besides, I think this is the only accent that everyone in the world should speak. I love the American accent so much!
@@leenasipponen8958 The British accent is the worst of all. After the 18th century, wealthy families in Great Britain dropped the "r" sound from the accent and drastically changed it to sound different from the common people. A few years later, even the common people adopted the new accent to sound on par with the wealthy families. This is how the British accent changed almost overnight after the 18th century, and it's no longer a pure natural accent. The standard American accent is closer to the original British accent that existed before the 18th century. I only see stupid arrogance in the accent that British people have now.
At first I listen to what you say, then I try to just repeat after you and try to memorize the sound of the words, when I don't understand the sound, I look at the transcription and repeat it again, and I can say that it has already helped improve my perception of fast and natural English by 10-20%.
... On the other hand, unless you have a high capacity to learn the new phonemes of a language and know how to correct yourself, it is practically impossible to pronounce the new language correctly just by watching videos and listening to recordings. The guidance of a teacher is essential to articulate the sounds correctly, both in isolated words and linked with other words within sentences and in the natural discourse of speech. Vowel reduction and the use of the schwa in English are only absorbed under the guidance of a good language teacher, given this characteristic being so marked in the correct pronunciation of English.
Right. I don't think that most of us need strive for a "fool anyone" native accent. I strive for excellence and do not set arbitrary requirements. With excellent pronunciation, we are can be understood.
I’m learning English from TH-cam channels from Canada, the USA, Australia, and the UK. I also hear Asian and sometimes African accents in online media(TH-cam). Sometimes, I speak to myself in my own accent (I know I don’t need to do this, and I don’t need to speak English right now; I just enjoy the process. I try, and it’s not too difficult for me, but sometimes I do). Which accent will I end up having? :) I’m not focusing on accent in English. (But in Thai, I’ll only speak if I really need to) Thank you!
Good analysis. Yes, we learners of various languages will speak with an accent which represents the phonemes which we "own". I agree that as long as we can be easily understood, our accent matters not. Sometimes one needs to use English as a lingua franca speaking to other in English if there is no other language in common. In that case the more native sounding one is, the better the others will understand. I have seen people each using English, but not communicating because one of them had a severe accent so the pronunciations were "off" and they were hard to understand. As a native speaker, i could understand them "through" their thick accent, the other chap (Austrian) was lost.
I just want to be able to pronounce English as good enough to be understood. But I really like the American standard accent like sounds in movies (especially in old ones), so I have plenty of material that could help me to achieve this. By the way, your accent looks like the American standard to me, I wonder if I'm right. Thanks a lot for your work.
Bingo! That is, yes it is. I have no regional accent and the way I speak is typical of the US. If one is looking for a "neutral" American accent, this channel is one of many examples.
The amount of input per day determines the speed of learning. The total number of hours correlates with proficiency with the language. Fluency comes with that proficiency plus experience using the language. For English learners starting with a European language like Spanish, all this takes perhaps 3000 hours. If they are starting with a language very different from English, then it may take 5000 hours. If the audio input is mostly USA sourced, then their accent will suggest that. There are no authorities who can estimate the time to get a native accent. It could be 10,000 hours or more. The number of hours per day determines how fast you learn. When I acquired Spanish, I got 3.5 hours per day and over 2 years received 2000 hours of input. Recall that it is unusual for any adult language learner to develop a native accent in a second language. We learned our first language so well that when we speak our new language, the sounds of the first come through somewhat.
... When individuals begin learning English ( or any other language ), they often have a strong desire to start speaking and to use practical phrases as evidence of their learning. English instructors and courses typically focus on teaching the pronunciation of basic words and phrases right from the start. The prospect of spending thousands of hours before actually speaking can be quite disheartening, and it appears that this approach is unlikely to gain widespread adoption in the near future.
Absolutely true. I had the luxury of not speaking and I literally listened to 1500+ hours before any output or reading. I think that this helped my pronunciation but it would be a completely impractical for someone with different circumstances. This silent period comes from the work of Marvin Brown and the AUA school in Bangkok but it can only be applied if it is practical for the person's needs.
I have noticed that after practicing pronunciation, listening comprehension gets better, that's true
Excellent. Thank you for your support.
Thanks
You are most welcome
I used to have this obsession with the accent and i felt embarrassed talking with a native English speaker. But. i realised that we learne a new language to communicate with other and not to pretend we are British or Americans. Leaving apart that the most of the times we talk with non native English speakers. For me the goal is to undestand and be understood by other in a natural and comfort way.
What a great analysis. I love it. Thank you.
... The question of accents in a language is fascinating. Every person speaks a language in a very personal way. English as a lingua franca is spoken in many countries around the world with many different accents. I prefer the general American English accent. It is the most widespread and, after all, I live in the United States.
Very true,
Hello, I want to thank you for the videos. I still can't watch all of them because I am learning the basics of English, building the foundation so I can benefit from the videos.
You are most welcome. People use these and other videos in a variety of ways. Some slow down the speed to capture the understanding. Others watch repeatedly. Some videos will be easier to understand after your level in English has grown. Thank you for your support.
I live in Bangladesh and the American/Canadian accent is the sweetest English accent in the world which should be nurtured and should not be changed. If you allow anyone to keep their own accent when they move into the United States, that means you are letting your accent + English polluted by foreign invasion. This sweet accent won't exist in a few decades if you keep allowing new accents to dominate you. Besides, I think this is the only accent that everyone in the world should speak. I love the American accent so much!
Thank you. We should not worry that immigration will change the native accents. I don't see that happening. Lots more to come.
I don't like the American accent at all. The British accent is much more pleasant to listen to.
@@leenasipponen8958 The British accent is the worst of all. After the 18th century, wealthy families in Great Britain dropped the "r" sound from the accent and drastically changed it to sound different from the common people. A few years later, even the common people adopted the new accent to sound on par with the wealthy families. This is how the British accent changed almost overnight after the 18th century, and it's no longer a pure natural accent. The standard American accent is closer to the original British accent that existed before the 18th century. I only see stupid arrogance in the accent that British people have now.
At first I listen to what you say, then I try to just repeat after you and try to memorize the sound of the words, when I don't understand the sound, I look at the transcription and repeat it again, and I can say that it has already helped improve my perception of fast and natural English by 10-20%.
Super. This tool is here for you. It is great when people innovate and find useful ways of incorporating this into their program. Good for you.
@@comprehendeng But at first, my throat was very dry when I tried to pronounce the combinations of words correctly)))))
... On the other hand, unless you have a high capacity to learn the new phonemes of a language and know how to correct yourself, it is practically impossible to pronounce the new language correctly just by watching videos and listening to recordings. The guidance of a teacher is essential to articulate the sounds correctly, both in isolated words and linked with other words within sentences and in the natural discourse of speech. Vowel reduction and the use of the schwa in English are only absorbed under the guidance of a good language teacher, given this characteristic being so marked in the correct pronunciation of English.
Right. I don't think that most of us need strive for a "fool anyone" native accent. I strive for excellence and do not set arbitrary requirements. With excellent pronunciation, we are can be understood.
I’m learning English from TH-cam channels from Canada, the USA, Australia, and the UK. I also hear Asian and sometimes African accents in online media(TH-cam). Sometimes, I speak to myself in my own accent (I know I don’t need to do this, and I don’t need to speak English right now; I just enjoy the process. I try, and it’s not too difficult for me, but sometimes I do). Which accent will I end up having? :)
I’m not focusing on accent in English.
(But in Thai, I’ll only speak if I really need to)
Thank you!
Good analysis. Yes, we learners of various languages will speak with an accent which represents the phonemes which we "own". I agree that as long as we can be easily understood, our accent matters not. Sometimes one needs to use English as a lingua franca speaking to other in English if there is no other language in common. In that case the more native sounding one is, the better the others will understand. I have seen people each using English, but not communicating because one of them had a severe accent so the pronunciations were "off" and they were hard to understand. As a native speaker, i could understand them "through" their thick accent, the other chap (Austrian) was lost.
I just want to be able to pronounce English as good enough to be understood. But I really like the American standard accent like sounds in movies (especially in old ones), so I have plenty of material that could help me to achieve this.
By the way, your accent looks like the American standard to me, I wonder if I'm right.
Thanks a lot for your work.
Bingo! That is, yes it is. I have no regional accent and the way I speak is typical of the US. If one is looking for a "neutral" American accent, this channel is one of many examples.
❤
Thank you.
... (4:30) ... 'spies' ... lol ... !!!
Yep
@@bantorio6525 Have you you ever seen the TV (FX) series 'The Americans'?, those guys needed to pronounce just like American fellows. Or die...
🙃🇺🇲
@@sevillavieira ... the era of spies seems to have faded ...
how many hours a day do you need to listen to some contains in english in order to get an american accent.
The amount of input per day determines the speed of learning. The total number of hours correlates with proficiency with the language. Fluency comes with that proficiency plus experience using the language. For English learners starting with a European language like Spanish, all this takes perhaps 3000 hours. If they are starting with a language very different from English, then it may take 5000 hours. If the audio input is mostly USA sourced, then their accent will suggest that. There are no authorities who can estimate the time to get a native accent. It could be 10,000 hours or more. The number of hours per day determines how fast you learn. When I acquired Spanish, I got 3.5 hours per day and over 2 years received 2000 hours of input.
Recall that it is unusual for any adult language learner to develop a native accent in a second language. We learned our first language so well that when we speak our new language, the sounds of the first come through somewhat.
... When individuals begin learning English ( or any other language ), they often have a strong desire to start speaking and to use practical phrases as evidence of their learning. English instructors and courses typically focus on teaching the pronunciation of basic words and phrases right from the start. The prospect of spending thousands of hours before actually speaking can be quite disheartening, and it appears that this approach is unlikely to gain widespread adoption in the near future.
Absolutely true. I had the luxury of not speaking and I literally listened to 1500+ hours before any output or reading. I think that this helped my pronunciation but it would be a completely impractical for someone with different circumstances. This silent period comes from the work of Marvin Brown and the AUA school in Bangkok but it can only be applied if it is practical for the person's needs.