Why do we speak with emphasis on a foreign language?

Have you ever wondered where the accent comes from? Can I get rid of it? Let's figure this out!

First acquaintance with the language

Little children begin to learn the language from the very moment of their birth. But over the years the brain becomes less sensitive, so even a child is a bit more difficult to speak the second language, as if copying sounds and intonations. That's why the speech sounds a little different, not like the one who taught the language from the first day of his life. And it's not a vocabulary or lack of experience, the fact is that the speech apparatus of an adult is already tuned to a completely different manner of use. Retraining can be quite difficult.

A common problem

Many people continue to speak with an accent even years after they move to a new country and learn a new language. Learning to reproduce completely different sounds is difficult. To learn a second language at the same level as the first language is simply impossible. Children distinguish many different sounds produced by humans, but by the age of five this skill has been weakening. For example, the Japanese do not distinguish between "l" and "p" sounds, so in other languages they are expected to have problems - they find it difficult to pronounce words like "lyrics" or "movie", because they have a combination of complex sounds. If you do not understand the difference between them, you have almost no chance to pronounce them in the right way. If you are more than five or six years old, it is difficult for you to acquire a manner of pronunciation like that of locals - you simply will not hear the difference between how they talk and how you try to pronounce.

Additional factor

Another reason for the problem is that people learn the language incorrectly. Most learners of a new language first learn writing, and then pronunciation. You can know the meaning of a long list of words, but you do not have the opportunity to tell them the native speaker, so incorrect pronunciation or incorrect intonation cut into memory. People tend to read words as they do in their own language. If it does not coincide with a foreign one, there are incorrect accents and erroneous intonations.

Way out

To get rid of the accent, you need as much as possible to listen to the speech of native speakers. For example, you can listen to music, watch TV shows and evening news, especially watch programs with subtitles so you can see the word and hear its correct pronunciation. Actors learn to imitate accents with special coaches, but this method is more mechanical. Nevertheless, it is worth paying attention to its essence - you need to learn to speak differently, practice using lips and tongue differently. Some language teachers are really capable of teaching that physically change the manner of speech, while others advise focusing on the rhythm. If you remember intonations and accents, it's easier for you to correctly convey a speech, even if you can not pronounce all the sounds correctly. After all, a word that does not sound like one sound can be understood, but the one in which the wrong emphasis becomes completely different from itself. The main thing is for someone to control your pronunciation and correct mistakes. Otherwise, you automatically use the same intonations as in your own language. The study of an additional language has many advantages - it increases concentration and even protects you from senile dementia. Nevertheless, not all are able to learn to speak without an accent. You need to constantly train and follow all the sounds to learn how to reproduce them in the same way as a native speaker. If you carefully practice and listen to the speech of foreigners, you will be able to succeed and defeat the accent.