>> I wonder if the whole thing about not pronouncing the plural s's as z's is common to natives of other Slavic languages? This is a second poster from Eastern Europe who has that issue.
I don't know about other Slavonic languages but it is a general rule in Polish to unvoice every voiced consonant that occurs at the end of the word if it is preceded by a vowel (eg. kod and kot are homophones). I think that for this reason I might also pronounce words like "hat" instead of "had" etc. but this is what less people notice.
As for the recording, I know that I sound Polish. However, if in a ususal everyday speech I put on a "lazy" accent (a lot of glottal stops, "idea rof" instead of
idea of", tchune instead of tune, shtudent instead of student etc.) then I think I sound more "native", although still not quite.
>> THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING AN ACCENT AS LONG AS YOU ARE UNDERSTOOD.
Yes, and there is nothing wrong with being blind, deaf and without a leg as long as you're alive...
I don't know about other Slavonic languages but it is a general rule in Polish to unvoice every voiced consonant that occurs at the end of the word if it is preceded by a vowel (eg. kod and kot are homophones). I think that for this reason I might also pronounce words like "hat" instead of "had" etc. but this is what less people notice.
As for the recording, I know that I sound Polish. However, if in a ususal everyday speech I put on a "lazy" accent (a lot of glottal stops, "idea rof" instead of
idea of", tchune instead of tune, shtudent instead of student etc.) then I think I sound more "native", although still not quite.
>> THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING AN ACCENT AS LONG AS YOU ARE UNDERSTOOD.
Yes, and there is nothing wrong with being blind, deaf and without a leg as long as you're alive...