Ask-A-Linguist Message Details
| Subject: | Not picking up accent of new language |
|---|---|
| Question: |
What are the reasons why some people never pick up the accent when they learn a new language and speak it for many years? I know well-educated people from non-English-speaking countries who have lived in the US for 4+ decades, and who speak fluent English constantly every day. They rarely speak their first language, yet they retain an accent so thick they can be difficult to understand. Is there a kind of tone-deafness to accents? |
| From: | Archie Legerman |
| Date: | 29-Aug-2012 |
| Replies: |
|
