<< Non, en général les Allemands n'ont pas un accent très marqué quand ils parlent français. Beaucoup moins en tout cas que les Italiens ou les Espagnols, qui parlent pourtant des langues proches (comme quoi, ça n'a rien à voir). >>
-- This is right. Even with a limited proficiency in French, Germans are strangely easy to understand (whereas native Spanish speakers with an advanced knowledge of French are often barely intelligible). Because German phonetics favours a extremely precise articulation of consonants perhaps.
Of course this ability is certainly not limited to French, I'm sure German speakers are able to pronounce English, Spanish, Russian or Swedish just as clearly.
<< Lorsque des étrangers arrivent à parler français presque sans aucun accent, ce sont la plupart du temps des Allemands. >>
-- The Dutch are even better at that.
How come people from Holland are able to learn foreign languages almost without any accent, including French, while the Flemish who have a much bigger exposure to French speak it with a stereotypical thick accent?
(Well, maybe because they were taught Brussels French instead of standard French...)
-- This is right. Even with a limited proficiency in French, Germans are strangely easy to understand (whereas native Spanish speakers with an advanced knowledge of French are often barely intelligible). Because German phonetics favours a extremely precise articulation of consonants perhaps.
Of course this ability is certainly not limited to French, I'm sure German speakers are able to pronounce English, Spanish, Russian or Swedish just as clearly.
<< Lorsque des étrangers arrivent à parler français presque sans aucun accent, ce sont la plupart du temps des Allemands. >>
-- The Dutch are even better at that.
How come people from Holland are able to learn foreign languages almost without any accent, including French, while the Flemish who have a much bigger exposure to French speak it with a stereotypical thick accent?
(Well, maybe because they were taught Brussels French instead of standard French...)