Can you recognise that someone is a native speaker of English when they are speaking fluently in a language you don't understand?
If so, what would you look for?
If so, what would you look for?
can you recognise an English accent in a foreign language?
<<Can you recognise that someone is a native speaker of English when they are speaking fluently in a language you don't understand? >>
yes. Its usually unmistakable. Like americans who speak french.
yes. Its usually unmistakable. Like americans who speak french.
Yes just like we can tell a French from a German from an Italian when they speak English. It's not something you "look for" as it's generally unmistakable.
Hmm, but how do you know they are English speakers, and don't just have some other accent of the unknown language? If they speak it fluently the only way to tell them apart would be their accent, but if you don't know the language it might be hard to even know if they have an accent.
By the way, did you understand the question right? Let me make it clear:
Can a NATIVE SPEAKER (say John) of English recognise other native speakers of English speaking fluently in a language which JOHN doesn't understand at all?
Can a NATIVE SPEAKER (say John) of English recognise other native speakers of English speaking fluently in a language which JOHN doesn't understand at all?
I think I would be able to tell if the accent was obvious enough...
Consequently, what gives Americans away? Is it the pronunciation of "r" or is it the vowels that's a bigger tell-all?
Consequently, what gives Americans away? Is it the pronunciation of "r" or is it the vowels that's a bigger tell-all?
<<Can a NATIVE SPEAKER (say John) of English recognise other native speakers of English speaking fluently in a language which JOHN doesn't understand at all? >
I doubt it. Suppose someone from France, Germany, Scotland, and Spain all go to China for 25 years and become fluent in Chinese, with only a small residual accent. I think I'd have a hard time telling which one was from Scotland.
I doubt it. Suppose someone from France, Germany, Scotland, and Spain all go to China for 25 years and become fluent in Chinese, with only a small residual accent. I think I'd have a hard time telling which one was from Scotland.
Actually, I think a lot of people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I visited an American school and all I had to do was say a few random sentences I happened to know in various languages and everyone was "wow! You're fluent in 5 languages! Omg! What a genius".
Many Continental Europeans are familiar with a number of Languages, and are probably fluent in at least two, three or four in many cases. Remember the diversity of Europe and how small it is in size, compared with the other Continents....different countries with different Languages, all in close proximity with each other.
Here in Edinburgh we have a train station called Haymarket, and one of the station announcers is a Frenchman, who comes from La Rochelle.
He used to work on trains but now owns and runs a very successful restaurant in the city, but still likes to keep his link with trains so now he announces all the departures and arrivals at Haymarket station, which is about 5km from where I live.
Many people love to hear his very French voice mention places like North Queensferry, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Carnoustie....apparently doesn't so much roll his "Rs" in the Scottish way...he trills them in the French way!
As I very rarely use Haymarket station I have never heard him but I may well stop off there one day as I often pass the station in my car. Other people say they can't understand anything he says! They must be foreigners! ;-)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Accent-just-zee-thing.4195704.jp
Here in Edinburgh we have a train station called Haymarket, and one of the station announcers is a Frenchman, who comes from La Rochelle.
He used to work on trains but now owns and runs a very successful restaurant in the city, but still likes to keep his link with trains so now he announces all the departures and arrivals at Haymarket station, which is about 5km from where I live.
Many people love to hear his very French voice mention places like North Queensferry, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Carnoustie....apparently doesn't so much roll his "Rs" in the Scottish way...he trills them in the French way!
As I very rarely use Haymarket station I have never heard him but I may well stop off there one day as I often pass the station in my car. Other people say they can't understand anything he says! They must be foreigners! ;-)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Accent-just-zee-thing.4195704.jp
Many Continental Europeans are familiar with a number of Languages, and are probably fluent in at least two, three or four in many cases. Remember the diversity of Europe and how small it is in size, compared with the other Continents....different countries with different Languages, all in close proximity with each other.
Here in Edinburgh we have a train station called Haymarket, and one of the station announcers is a Frenchman, who comes from La Rochelle.
He used to work on trains but now owns and runs a very successful restaurant in the city, but still likes to keep his link with trains so now he announces all the departures and arrivals at Haymarket station, which is about 5km from where I live.
Many people love to hear his very French voice mention places like North Queensferry, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Carnoustie....apparently doesn't so much roll his "Rs" in the Scottish way...he trills them in the French way!
As I very rarely use Haymarket station I have never heard him but I may well stop off there one day as I often pass the station in my car. Other people say they can't understand anything he says! They must be foreigners! ;-)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Accent-just-zee-thing.4195704.jp
Here in Edinburgh we have a train station called Haymarket, and one of the station announcers is a Frenchman, who comes from La Rochelle.
He used to work on trains but now owns and runs a very successful restaurant in the city, but still likes to keep his link with trains so now he announces all the departures and arrivals at Haymarket station, which is about 5km from where I live.
Many people love to hear his very French voice mention places like North Queensferry, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Carnoustie....apparently doesn't so much roll his "Rs" in the Scottish way...he trills them in the French way!
As I very rarely use Haymarket station I have never heard him but I may well stop off there one day as I often pass the station in my car. Other people say they can't understand anything he says! They must be foreigners! ;-)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Accent-just-zee-thing.4195704.jp
Many Continental Europeans are familiar with a number of Languages, and are probably fluent in at least two, three or four in many cases. Remember the diversity of Europe and how small it is in size, compared with the other Continents....different countries with different Languages, all in close proximity with each other.
Here in Edinburgh we have a train station called Haymarket, and one of the station announcers is a Frenchman, who comes from La Rochelle.
He used to work on trains but now owns and runs a very successful restaurant in the city, but still likes to keep his link with trains so now he announces all the departures and arrivals at Haymarket station, which is about 5km from where I live.
Many people love to hear his very French voice mention places like North Queensferry, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Carnoustie....apparently doesn't so much roll his "Rs" in the Scottish way...he trills them in the French way!
As I very rarely use Haymarket station I have never heard him but I may well stop off there one day as I often pass the station in my car. Other people say they can't understand anything he says! They must be foreigners! ;-)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Accent-just-zee-thing.4195704.jp
Here in Edinburgh we have a train station called Haymarket, and one of the station announcers is a Frenchman, who comes from La Rochelle.
He used to work on trains but now owns and runs a very successful restaurant in the city, but still likes to keep his link with trains so now he announces all the departures and arrivals at Haymarket station, which is about 5km from where I live.
Many people love to hear his very French voice mention places like North Queensferry, Dunfermline, Cowdenbeath and Carnoustie....apparently doesn't so much roll his "Rs" in the Scottish way...he trills them in the French way!
As I very rarely use Haymarket station I have never heard him but I may well stop off there one day as I often pass the station in my car. Other people say they can't understand anything he says! They must be foreigners! ;-)
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/latestnews/Accent-just-zee-thing.4195704.jp
I can understand an American accent in some languages even if I don't speak the other language fluently. I can hear it in Mandarin for example.
Frankly, how "strong" an accent is varies quite a bit.
"Consequently, what gives Americans away? Is it the pronunciation of "r" or is it the vowels that's a bigger tell-all? "_Skippy
A lot of things give "Americans" away. Use of gestures (or not), dipthongs, eye contact, scent (not kidding), "uh", not connecting words in languages where they should be connected. "R" in certain languages, wrong tone in Chinese, speaking "through" English, trying to use English sentence structure.
But hey! Other people have accents. I can sometimes hear a Spaniard's accent/phrasing in French. It can be very interesting to hear other accents-Farsi in Japanese, etc. I can't pick them all out, but I notice them.
Frankly, how "strong" an accent is varies quite a bit.
"Consequently, what gives Americans away? Is it the pronunciation of "r" or is it the vowels that's a bigger tell-all? "_Skippy
A lot of things give "Americans" away. Use of gestures (or not), dipthongs, eye contact, scent (not kidding), "uh", not connecting words in languages where they should be connected. "R" in certain languages, wrong tone in Chinese, speaking "through" English, trying to use English sentence structure.
But hey! Other people have accents. I can sometimes hear a Spaniard's accent/phrasing in French. It can be very interesting to hear other accents-Farsi in Japanese, etc. I can't pick them all out, but I notice them.
Never met a native speaker of English who spoke a foreign language fluently... ;-)
There are tonnes of them. Just walk into the nearest university's foreign language department or even a high school one and you're bound to find ENglish speakers fluent in another tongue.
No.
Not if they are speaking the language that John doesn't understand "fluently".
John would be clueless as to whether or not the person was a native English speaker.
Not if they are speaking the language that John doesn't understand "fluently".
John would be clueless as to whether or not the person was a native English speaker.