Dec. 9, 2023
My English Accent
So far, many people, including both native English speakers and non-native speakers, have told me that I speak English with a slight British accent. Getting such feedback surprises me every time because I've put a lot of effort into mimicking the general American accent and learning American English.
The first person who mentioned that my accent sounded slightly British was my sister. She said it entertained her whenever she heard me speak English as it gave the impression of an Asian person mimicking a British accent painstakingly and unsuccessfully. Since she couldn't pinpoint where I sounded particularly British, I initially thought she was only teasing or messing with me.
It wasn't until recently that I realized she had been telling the truth. Over the last few weeks, I've been delivering 1 to 2 English oral presentations per week in college. In preparation, I uploaded many recordings of my speech practice to an English learning community on Reddit to gather feedback and advice from native speakers. Surprisingly, after listening to my audio files, many native speakers remarked that I spoke English with a slight British accent.
Just some comments that I received from native speakers on Reddit:
"You have a lovely British accent!"
"To me, your accent has instances of what is often referred to as 'BBC' or 'Queen's' English. Are you purposely trying to use this accent or is that how you naturally speak when using English?''
"Your pronunciation is slightly 'Queen's' sounding. Perhaps you had some teachers with a British-influenced accent?"
"In places, I thought you sounded French, but in other places you don't. I think it is obvious that English is not your first language, but you still sound quite fluent and I can't tell where you're from. Hong Kong, maybe?"
"You do have a very distinguishable accent, I would posit from eastern Asia, perhaps Hong Kong or that area?"
Although many native speakers were reasonably sure that my accent was an East Asia one, they often guessed incorrectly that I was from Hong Kong. At first, I thought it might be because my accent gave off a Cantonese vibe, but then I dismissed that idea since my native language is Mandarin Chinese, not Cantonese.
It turned out that it had nothing to do with Cantonese but rather with the slight trace of a British accent I had:
"I would guess you're from somewhere in East Asia yeah. You speak with a slightly British accent (I think haha), so my guess is Hong Kong."
"You have a recognisable East Asian accent, I only guessed Hong Kong because I heard a subtle hint of British accent coming through. Whether this is intentional or not, I am not sure."
With so much consistent feedback, I now conclude that I do speak English with a mix of an East Asian accent and a British accent. But...why? I am currently learning English by myself, and when practicing my pronunciation and intonation, I always aim for the General American accent and shadow native speakers of American English.
Last year, I practiced my conversational English weekly with native tutors on an online platform. Although 60% of my tutors were from the UK, their accents were all pretty netural. I also had tutors from Canada, the US, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, so I was exposed to different accents. Moreover, my total practice time is 4000 minutes, which is less than three days, so I doubt it could play a huge role in the development of my accent. To conclude, I have no clue where the British touch in my English comes from.
I did have a regular tutor with an RP accent from Wrexham whom I particularly enjoyed talking to. I rarely reviewed my lesson history with other tutors as I considered it to be a chore and torment. On the other hand, watching my lesson videos with him was always a pleasure. It might sound creepy, but sometimes I reviewed our lesson history up to 10 times a day. I think certain elements of his accent may have subtly influenced my speech.
Although many native speakers were reasonably sure that my accent was an East Asian one, they often guessed incorrectly that I was from Hong Kong.
My English Accent
So far, many people, including both native English speakers and non-native speakers, have told me that I speak English with a slight British accent.
Getting such feedback surprises me every time because I've put a lot of effort into mimicking the general American accent and learning American English.
The first person who mentioned that my accent sounded slightly British was my sister.
She said it entertained her whenever she heard me speak English as it gave the impression of an Asian person mimicking a British accent painstakingly and unsuccessfully.
Since she couldn't pinpoint where I sounded particularly British,. I initially thought she was only teasing or messing with me.
It wasn't until recently that I realized she had been telling the truth.
Over the last few weeks, I've been delivering 1 to 2 English oral presentations per week in college.
In preparation, I uploaded many recordings of my speech practice to an English learning community on Reddit to gather feedback and advice from native speakers.
Surprisingly, after listening to my audio files, many native speakers remarked that I spoke English with a slight British accent.
Just some comments that I received from native speakers on Reddit: "You have a lovely British accent!"
Although many native speakers were reasonably sure that my accent was an East Asian one, they often guessed incorrectly that I was from Hong Kong.
At first, I thought it might be because my accent gave off a Cantonese vibe, but then I dismissed that idea since my native language is Mandarin Chinese, not Cantonese.
It turned out that it had nothing to do with Cantonese but rather with the slight trace of a British accent I had: "I would guess you're from somewhere in East Asia yeah.
With so much consistent feedback, I now conclude that I do speak English with a mix of an East Asian accent and a British accent.
But...why?
I am currently learning English by myself, and when practicing my pronunciation and intonation, I always aim for the General American accent and shadow native speakers of American English.
Last year, I practiced my conversational English weekly with native tutors on an online platform.
Although 60% of my tutors were from the UK, their accents were all pretty netural.
I also had tutors from Canada, the US, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, so I was exposed to different accents.
Moreover, my total practice time is 4000 minutes, which is less than three days, so I doubt it could play a huge role in the development of my accent.
To conclude, I have no clue where the British touch in my English comes from.
I did have a regular tutor with an RP accent from Wrexham whom I particularly enjoyed talking to.
I rarely reviewed my lesson history with other tutors as I considered it to be a chore and torment.
On the other hand, watching my lesson videos with him was always a pleasure.
It might sound creepy, but sometimes I reviewed our lesson history up to 10 times a day.
I think certain elements of his accent may have subtly influenced my speech.
Feedback
Accents in English are really weird because, unlike in other languages, we mostly use the same words and everything. The main things that determine what we perceive as accents is vowels, and what you do with "r." The 100% surefire way to sound American is making sure the r's at the end of your words are pronounced. If you say "are" like "ah," even by mistake, we are immediately primed to think "Oh, that sounds British!" I also think British folks pronounce their vowels more clearly, so if you're trying to speak carefully, you may be also pronouncing your vowels more clearly and subtly sounding more British.
Dec. 9, 2023
Thank you so much, @deux_ex_machina, for your corrections and for sharing these insights on accents in English!
Thank you so much, @deux_ex_machina, for your corrections and for sharing these insights on accents in English!
I think you hit the nail on the head because I do have trouble pronouncing the "r" sound and almost always omit it. I also tend to pronounce each word and phrase individually and precisely. I believe the subtle hint of a British accent in my speech is unintentional and not authentic.
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My English Accent This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
So far, many people, including both native English speakers and non-native speakers, have told me that I speak English with a slight British accent. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Getting such feedback surprises me every time because I've put a lot of effort into mimicking the general American accent and learning American English. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
The first person who mentioned that my accent sounded slightly British was my sister. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
She said it entertained her whenever she heard me speak English as it gave the impression of an Asian person mimicking a British accent painstakingly and unsuccessfully. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Since she couldn't pinpoint where I sounded particularly British, I initially thought she was only teasing or messing with me. Since she couldn't pinpoint where I sounded particularly British |
|
It wasn't until recently that I realized she had been telling the truth. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Over the last few weeks, I've been delivering 1 to 2 English oral presentations per week in college. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
In preparation, I uploaded many recordings of my speech practice to an English learning community on Reddit to gather feedback and advice from native speakers. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Surprisingly, after listening to my audio files, many native speakers remarked that I spoke English with a slight British accent. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Just some comments that I received from native speakers on Reddit: "You have a lovely British accent!" This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
"To me, your accent has instances of what is often referred to as 'BBC' or 'Queen's' English. |
|
Are you purposely trying to use this accent or is that how you naturally speak when using English?'' |
|
"Your pronunciation is slightly 'Queen's' sounding. |
|
Perhaps you had some teachers with a British-influenced accent?" |
|
"In places, I thought you sounded French, but in other places you don't. |
|
I think it is obvious that English is not your first language, but you still sound quite fluent and I can't tell where you're from. |
|
Hong Kong, maybe?" |
|
"You do have a very distinguishable accent, I would posit from eastern Asia, perhaps Hong Kong or that area?" |
|
Although many native speakers were reasonably sure that my accent was an East Asia one, they often guessed incorrectly that I was from Hong Kong. Although many native speakers were reasonably sure that my accent was an East Asian one, they often guessed incorrectly that I was from Hong Kong. Although many native speakers were reasonably sure that my accent was an East Asian one, they often guessed incorrectly that I was from Hong Kong. |
|
At first, I thought it might be because my accent gave off a Cantonese vibe, but then I dismissed that idea since my native language is Mandarin Chinese, not Cantonese. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
It turned out that it had nothing to do with Cantonese but rather with the slight trace of a British accent I had: "I would guess you're from somewhere in East Asia yeah. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
You speak with a slightly British accent (I think haha), so my guess is Hong Kong." |
|
"You have a recognisable East Asian accent, I only guessed Hong Kong because I heard a subtle hint of British accent coming through. |
|
Whether this is intentional or not, I am not sure." |
|
With so much consistent feedback, I now conclude that I do speak English with a mix of an East Asian accent and a British accent. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
But...why? This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I am currently learning English by myself, and when practicing my pronunciation and intonation, I always aim for the General American accent and shadow native speakers of American English. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Last year, I practiced my conversational English weekly with native tutors on an online platform. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Although 60% of my tutors were from the UK, their accents were all pretty natural. |
|
I also had tutors from Canada, the US, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, so I was exposed to different accents. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Moreover, my total practice time is 4000 minutes, which is less than three days, so I doubt it could play a huge role in the development of my accent. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
To conclude, I have no clue where the British touch in my English comes from. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I did have a regular tutor with an RP accent from Wrexham whom I particularly enjoyed talking to. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I rarely reviewed my lesson history with other tutors as I considered it to be a chore and torment. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
On the other hand, watching my lesson videos with him was always a pleasure. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
It might sound creepy, but sometimes I reviewed our lesson history up to 10 times a day. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
I think certain elements of his accent may have subtly influenced my speech. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
|
Although 60% of my tutors were from the UK, their accents were all pretty netural. This sentence has been marked as perfect! |
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