Thanks Robin. I don't comment much, but I am attentive to all your videos. You are the best on youtube. You motivate us through your messages, your story, the passion and enthusiasm that is seen in every video of yours. Thanks!!! Greetings from Peru.

Hello! I wanted to give my opinion as a Latin American person. I do not know if this situation happens to people of other cultures or other countries, although it probably may. I am from Costa Rica, a small country in Central America, and my native language is Spanish. Since I was a child I have been concerned about studying English, since it is a universal language. But I have noticed something very interesting in my country and probably so in the rest of the countries of Latin America. My English teachers have always told us that we have to practice until we are tired so that our accent in English does not feel that it is "Latin Spanish", which we did not understand, because despite having our "Latin accent" we could pronounce word well and communicate fluently with people. And our teacher explained to us that English with a Latin accent has always been seen (mainly in the United States) as a mockery, or not to be taken seriously, there are movies or series where they exaggerate it even more as in the case of Sofia Vergara in The Modern Family. On the other hand, an English with a French accent is seen as exquisite or even pretty.The most interesting thing is when there are people who are native speakers of English, who learn to speak Spanish, and to be honest, many times with a terrible pronunciation or accent, but in that case nobody says anything or makes fun of it. So I think it's interesting, as also on a global level, certain accents are fine and respected, while others are seen in the form of ridicule or not seriously.

Personally, I think ABSOLUTELY YES! I'm a young man from Argentina, and after a few years of immersion, my way of speaking English (my accent and pronunciation, which are two different things really but related in several ways) has become dramatically native-like. Most people I meet these days don't believe me when I tell them I was never born in the UK. However, should everyone want to perfect a "native" accent? In my opinion, it depends on what you want. There are many benefits to speaking with a seamless native-like accent. What you gain is just priceless. Natives will feel a lot more comfortable speaking with you if your accent is just like theirs, that's simple social behaviour, we like familiarity. They will feel like you're just a fellow compatriot, which is great if you're looking for integration.

I don't think that's necessary to get a native accent from the target country but for me it creates a better connexion. Once i saw a Canadian woman speaking a perfect Portuguese and it made me stoked.

From my experience many native speakers in the UK make fun of immigrants how they speak English or pronounce some words differently, but can't speak any foreign language by themselves. They always liked to imitate immigrants etc. Here in Finland you can also find some native English speakers who still can't pronounce or speak Finnish at the basic level even after 10 years living here and having a Finnish spouse often. I was watching some videos from the Balkans and it was about some Americans who live in Bosnia. They still had so strong American accents while talking Bosnian that it was sometimes hard for me to understand what they were saying. And these people had lived there like a decade already.

Good on you for promoting your Patreon podcast! It is my favorite part of all you offer. Highly recommended!

I believe that it's possible to achieve a native accent after enough time and effort, but I believe people shouldn't try for it unless they're making that language their entire life

That was so eye-opening. I have never thought about accent as something that shows your story and the things you've lived in a certain language. Thank you very much for that

I'm not going to say it's impossible but acquiring a perfect/native accent is, I believe, very difficult. And then, what is a "perfect accent"? It could be very subjective. Even native speakers in one language have varied accents depending on where they live or where they are from. So, I don't think people need to focus on it in general. Personally, I love improving my accent and I'm good at it. I think sounding close to a natural/native accent has its own beauty, so I do want to improve mine to a good level. But I certainly will always have an accent. Living abroad for many years, my native Japanese starts to have some accents, too, lol. And I love accents, too, it tells a lot of story about the person. But as you mentioned, there is a limit to it. If you have really strong accents that make everybody misunderstand a lot, or make people feel like they have to concentrate extra just to understand you, then it is indeed a problem. It prevents you from having a good communication experience, too, so you have to improve to a certain level and you should want to, well... in my opinion. But if people understand you just fine, it is totally up to you to make further improvements or not. There is no need to perfect your accent to a higher level unless it is required for some reason, or it's what you want.

I laughed when you said that people are baffled with your English accent because I’ve never been able to place it. It’s not necessarily a foreign accent but at the same time it’s neither a native American nor a British one and I’ve heard you mentioning that your father is Scottish and your mother is Iraqi and you grew up in the UK and lived in the US . But it’s still a mystery 😊.

Well, I think it's important to address the questions of whether you CAN acquire a native accent in a foreign language and whether you SHOULD separately. The answer to the first question is that it's absolutely possible and plenty of people have done but it is very rare. Truly mastering an accent requires a tremendous amount of effort to really get every single sound as well as rhythm and intonation right. For most people it's not worth it to do that though which is why it's so rare. Once people can easily understand you when you speak most people won't really be all that interested in practicing the accent every day in order to sound completely native. One of the most important factors that is often overlooked is identity. People often don't lose their accent because it would feel to them like they're losing their French identity for example if they're French. An accent isn't just a bunch of sounds but also an identity and a certain vibe you create and that has to come from a place within you that is authentic. So the only way you're going to attain - let's say - a native American accent is by creating an American identity that goes along with it. If you can do that and are willing to put in the work required to sound fully native then it's definitely doable Should you try to acquire a native accent though? Well, that depends on your motivations I suppose. I think if you really want to sound native then there's nothing wrong with it. You've already pointed out that when people speak very clearly and people can understand them then it's not a necessity to sound native and I agree so I won't go further into that. I understand people's desire to sound native though since I share the same desire.

It is really disarming and beautiful the way you talk about your struggles with self confidence so candidly, almost without noticing. I would say that self confidence is also the biggest obstacle in my life, but the difference is that some part of me feels ashamed about it all. There's no way I'd be able to talk about it so openly. You make me feel like it's ok. I also relate really strongly to your experience in Japan. I don't think I've ever built relationships like that in a foreign language, but I have had experiences where I've felt more loved than ever before, which were painfully brief and which I look back on with a lot of fondess and nostalgia. It's like your love of languages is reflective of this powerful desire to connect with others and to feel loved, because language learning is the thing that facilitated that experience in Japan. Basically what I am trying to say is that I think you are a really beautiful person and it makes me happy that you exist and that you share so much of yourself with all of us ❤️

i used to be obsessed to speak free-accent in English, but at the same time i also neglect another important aspect like grammar and structure of sentence, and also enrich my vocabulary as well. But this video is becoming a game changer to me and now i am really sure that i dont need to have perfect accent in English, just speak and be polite. Thanks man! Have a nice day to everyone!! Cheers!!!!

Lol, my neighbors from Mexico taught me how to pronounce /v/ correctly. It freaks people out and then I get rapid fire Spanish, with really confused looks when I wave them off, saying “un poquito.”

Having a native-like accent is necessary if: - you want to become an actor and you don't want to be confined to the role of "the foreigner"; - you want to become a TV/Radio host; - you live in a place where people are hostile to foreigners. The solution is always the same: you go to an elocution teacher. They will approach your speech patterns in a professional way and they will teach you how to produce the ""correct"" sounds. Elocution teachers also help native actors who need to master specific accents as not everybody is as good as Meryl Streep who teaches herself the accent required by her role.

I don't really want to have an accent in my target languages because I don't really belong in my home country either. So I don't really want to tell my story. Maybe the best I can hope for is some generic slightly foreign accent that no one can place. I just really don't want a distinctly English or Spanish accent. I also don't want a beautiful or endearing accent. I just want people to focus on what I say and not how I say it.

A very interesting topic. This past year I have been focusing all of my language study on imitating a foreign accent (for Spanish, Portuguese, French) in hopes of minimizing my own English accent. The progress has been slow…😞

I think accents are pretty unique to each individual. Similar to their thumb prints. The more language you are exposed to, the more you adapt to the nuances of those languages. But they basically stack up together. After being in the US and Saudi Arabia, my native tongue already has an ‘accent’. But I think, I have had an accent since before going abroad.

Thank you so much Robin. I have binge watching your youtube vids in the past couple of your vids on the daily. I am curious though, I am learning Japanese as a requirement for work. If you are required to learn a language, what are your tips to stay motivated in learning the language? We are currently using Minna no Nihongo and doing 2 chapters a week ( we are already on the second book ). Since we are on a tight deadline, we need to run through up to the intermediate books by the second quarter of next year. Nothing though is sticking. How do I stay motivated in order to actually absorb the lessons and appreciate learning it as well?

I think that accents highlight the beautiful differences between people and how boring would life be if everyone sounded the same…

I've said this before- having an accent will get you more respect here's why: when we realize you STUDIED to learn the language and you're good. That is IMPRESSIVE...really. If you sounded native- think of what problems it coudl cause plus you would get no admiration- as folks would just think you're native...LOL> The problem would be folks assuming you know certain CULTURAL THINGS that you won't know...that will confound folks because they ASSUMED you were Native. Keep a slight accent- be understandable is more important.

i think it depends on your native language, if your native language is/languages are close to the target language then it would be easier for you to devleop a native accent.

Another point to bring up would be how they are unconfident with their English but not so much with Brazilian & Portuguese. I think a factor that plays into it might be the sheer amount of English media regularly available compared to other languages, so the bar for expected perfection is higher. Moreso when the people around you are also familiar with English and tend to point out every little difference i.e accent, grammar, etc.

What kind of coffee do you drink? I like Lavazza crema e gusto, or I've even got some some Jacobs krönung from the German market which is pretty good, and sometimes I can find some good fresh beans locally. Curious to know what kind you like

It's not "in our heads". Being told I sound "cute" or "sexy" or whatever constantly just makes me feel I don't sound normal, and I'm just an outsider not expected to be here and stay here. So yeah, I'd say it's pretty damn important in order not to be alienated constantly.

Before even finishing watching the video , I’d say you can’t except for very rare cases . Many foreign speakers think they have a native accent and I don’t think it’s important to have a native accent

I have started tik tok in English and even thou I speak fluently I'm under impression that having the right accent is a way of power and influence nowdays.There are many people who are quick to make judgements based on other people's accents

I kind of have an Canadian English Aglo- Russo accent after years of trying to speak Russian properly.

I think it would be hard to get a “native accent.” I think the goal should be is to talk or mirror a native accent as close as possible to get sounds and tones right but not an native accent. For example, I have learned the sounds of Russian for years and know I don’t sound native but that’s not my goal as mentioned.

It can be done, because I've witnessed, and I'm fluent in the same language of said guy. But that talent is quite rare indeed.

I was just considering unsubscribe your channel because I felt like I am not learning new things any more just enjoying your videos, but after this video, I am glad I didn't rush on it. what a deep, relaxing, lovely video for yours!

have u studied Russian? If so I'd like to hear your opinion on that language and how to approach it as I find it very challenging and a kind of a maze..Grazie

Its not that hard to make the sounds of other languages if you have an acquaintance with phonetics. Which is science of how sound are pronounced. One more thing is to realise that a c b d are not sounds but names of the alphabets so there is no such thing as a Chinese aar (R) sound or a hindi has 4 dee (D) sounds. Realising this is the first step towards developing a phonetic consciousness. I taught My 61 year old 200% monolingual mother "who cant even pronounce all the sounds of our native hindi properly due to her hometown dialect which didn't have many sounds of standard hindi" to pronounce 20 new sounds of various languages including rounded vowels of german, retroflex sounds of sanskrit and velar fricatives of Persian, in just 2 hours by explaining the science of phonetics

You know what - I personally find it a little spooky when I meet a foreign speaker who has a native accent. I can't articulate why, but it doesn't feel comfortable - perhaps because it's always just a couple of percent off. It's even weirder when they have a strong regional accent, like some of the Scandinavians who used to play at Liverpool FC who spoke in broad Scouse. So is it really worth all the effort to develop it when the natives might not even appreciate it? As you say, there's something very sexy about an English speaker with a nice French or Italian or Korean accent. That's who they are, so what's wrong with that? So long as they are clear and understandable and the prosody is on point, you can have a perfectly comfortable conversation. In my latest effort the natives twig that I'm British in the first sentence - but they say I'm clearer than many locals because I do put a lot of effort into getting the basics right. Only recently found you, but I'm beginning to think you are the smartest language coach on KZfaq. Or maybe that's just because we're similar and I find myself agreeing with pretty much everything you are teaching!

i think you should try to get your accent and intonation and stress and everything all to a level where native speakers don't have to put in extra effort to try to understand you. i have friends who are l2 english speakers and pretty much all of them don't have a native accent but nothing about the way they talk makes it harder to talk to them than anyone else (for context, they're all very proficient - they're international students at college in america). i get the same feedback for my french and korean - the accent is really good, not necessarily native but any native i talk to would be able to understand me without problem, not just l2 teachers. i think once you get to that level with your accent you're going to have to put in a lot of work to see even a slight improvement and at that point it's a trade off between improving your accent and improving your proficiency in the language (or if you're already very good, you can just take up a new hobby or a new language instead) so i don't think it's worth it

I focus on accent because it helps my pronunciation 🤷🏻‍♀️

I really hope I can get rid of my British accent

Well, even native speakers do not have perfect accent, see here in Italy, each of us has a regional accent 😂

There's some other native speakers I have more difficulty in grasping e.g. a Scottish person ( no, not being anti- alba - could've been a strong Geordie accent) for being interviewed on the news - we have subtitles on in our place & if it wasn't for them I'd have given up . See Henry Kissinger as an example of a non native speaker retaining a strong accent & not stopping him from high office ( politics aside). Eva Green as Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale- a native Brit used to 'posh' accents' wouldn't be convinced of hers. I don't know why- her natura accent in English is beyond reproach & delightful- see from 2:23kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o9yYf7Z0mNm7g3k.html

Love accents. As you said, they sound cute and it gives room for people to tell their stories, where they're from, etc

ы is not difficult. make the и sound with your tongue back. You're welcome

I can’t believe that the French accent speaking English is endearing!!! 😋

It seems so self defeating to try to sound like a native of your chosen language. You are communicating , I think that communicating as well as you can at a particular time ought to be your prime concern. Don't let yourself get hung up about accuracy. Most people will be pleased that you are trying to talk to them in their language, and if some are rude and impatient they are not worth worrying about !

It ain't cute if you got an Indian accent. I recently came to realize that the Indian accent is the most unattractive accent in the world, apparently.

You dont wanna eliminate who you are , you just wanna eliminate the accent in a language thats not yours . Why people dont get it its simple as that , when you do math for the first time and dont know how to do it the right way do you just say this is who i am this is my life experience and this is fine , no its not , ita not fine but its upto you if you wanna do it like a mathematician or like a toddler that dont know that much , seriously 😒 same goes with any foreign language its upto you if you wanna aquire native accent , at the end of day it just shows how serious you wanted to learn the language, how much you liked to culture at first place or whatever the case might be ,it just shows youre Passion for the language😅😅