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Post by auntieannie on Aug 5, 2011 20:33:08 GMT
one of my cousins is a speech therapist. In a relatively recent conversation, she told me that I now sound in french like someone who usually speaks english. apparently my intonations have changed drastically since I have moved to the UK. I must admit that english usually comes first to mind these days. I have caught myself mentally translating into french.
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Post by bixaorellana on Aug 9, 2011 16:54:11 GMT
'Language eriosion' is incredibly interesting but few researchers concentrate it. That is so true, Ninchursanga. I had to learn Spanish twice -- once as a child of eight, then again as an adult in my forties, despite having taken it in high school and college. Re-learning it as an adult, I kept hoping a brick would fall on my head or something, and shake all the stuck, hidden Spanish loose. That said, I think it was easier for me than for many adults & people say my accent is better than that of most Americans speaking Spanish, so there must be residual language in there somewhere. she told me that I now sound in french like someone who usually speaks english. Last week I was in a grocery store in Las Vegas that caters to the Latin American population & those of that descent. Spanish was being spoken all around me, and much of it sounded excruciatingly US-American to me. I don't know if this is because I'm used to native speakers or because only Mexican Spanish sounds "correct" to me. What's frustrating is that, if I can pick up on different accents in Spanish, why can't I completely eradicate mine?
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Post by auntieannie on Aug 9, 2011 18:33:33 GMT
bixabella, I think one's accent is also made by the shape of our mouth/throat. if you know what I mean. some of the very personal sound characteristics of your accent come from how you're built.
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Post by ninchursanga on Aug 25, 2011 19:20:36 GMT
An accent also depends on which muscles you use when talking everyday. The facial and palatal muscles, I mean. For different accents you will use different muscle flexions and apparently you can get a it stiff, so to say.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 25, 2011 21:25:04 GMT
That may be one of the reasons that so many people can speak a foreign language better when they have drunk -- it doesn't just loosen up the inhibitions but also the muscles.
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