Do You Have a Good or Bad Accent in a Foreign Language? Uncovering the Accent Illusion

[@mihaelaclaudiap..2]

My accent it's so weird as I speak many languages and my accents are so mixed that no one understands where I am coming from! I find that funny! People seems to love my accent no matter in which language my accent is :) Great video my lovely, I adore languages!

[@zoe.languages]

fascinating!

[@bailagringacovers]

Lol same, and I’m American. I feel like Americans are usually pretty obvious to tell but a lot of ppl think i’m slavic by the way i speak foreign tongues XD

[@DDT-gj9yz]

​@@zoe.languages Hello

[@Snk13_ty]

Zoe when you speak English your accent is a combination of accents. Chinese, British, and American. Its very unique. Thanks for the video ✌🏾

[@polyglot-life]

Yes, our accents tell a story about who you are and where you come from. That's why we are interested in someone we meet and want to know about him or her.

[@olgamarinho]

I notice this frequently, the harshest judgments on accent in a foreign language come from people of your own country!

[@En30sApp]

Thank you for sharing this insightful video on accents in language learning! 🌟 Your exploration of the difference between accent and pronunciation, and what really defines a 'good' accent, is very thought-provoking. It's a great reminder that language learning is about communication and understanding, not just perfection.

[@littleman-fv4ii]

Zoe your channel is growing rapidly 🎉❤ The last time I watched video of yours about 4 months ago and you probably had less than 150k You are going to be the best polyglot on KZbin ❤

[@roriche]

what a kind video! ♥ it feels like a hug for all language learners 🤗

[@valerieayla4687]

You have articulated all these nuances so well! Thank you!!!!

[@theculturedkidlanguages]

I've just discovered your channel but already love it SO much! Can't wait to follow along!

[@johnsoloninka322]

Zoe…I love your accent in English!!! Don’t ever change it!!

[@mr.baphomet-fpv]

Halo Thanks you for sharing this video. I started to learn English 1 year ago. Before that, I used English only for tests or exams. When I speak English to someone whose first language is English, I often feel nervous and struggle to find the right words. I think I'm lacking words for daily life. So I watch many different topic videos on KZbin to increase my English vocabulary. And now I still in this journey. I really appreciate your fluent language skills and the way you present yourself. Keep you way！！

[@Princess1m5]

thank you for sharing, now i learn a wonderfull thing from your today lesson is "shift mindset" from trying perfect accent to communicate and share information clearly. this statement make me more confident in speaking.

[@rones7778]

In fact, I love all your videos. I don’t know why, is it love for your channel, but thank you 🎉❤

[@magspies]

Yes, so good to highlight. Communication is the goal, not a 'perfect accent' but not being able to talk/understand people. Interesting to hear your personal evolution around this!

[@AijazShan-m5w]

Very informative dear....thnks for sharing

[@eLGr3Ko0]

I wish I could speak like you in English, with your accent (if you have it). Thank you Zoe for your video. I like everything that you share with us. You are smart and discipline (you are also beautiful ), we love you!

[@alexandrah535]

I am a native English speaker from the US who studied for 5 years in the UK and picked up a soft lowlands Edinburgh Scottish accent. Even years later, when I sound very American again, my vowels and cadence have gotten a bit “stuck” so anyone I talk to for more than 5 minutes will ask me where I’m from, since they feel like I’m not from the US, but they can’t identify what’s not American about my accent. It’s extremely subtle, the vowel just a fraction off. My dental hygienist even told me last week that I’m “doing a very good job with my accent,” whatever that means 😂 People often feel uncomfortable that I don’t “perfectly” match an accent they think I should have, but the reality is that our accents are a conglomeration of who we are and our experiences. I can’t expect to have a “native” accent in Japanese if I can’t even have a “native” accent in my first language 😂😂

[@zoe.languages]

😂😂😂wow interesting story

[@DiamantisHell]

Wow thanks for sharing

[@Majd_Debs]

I am a new subscriber, but I was very happy because I learned that you are fluent in the Syrian dialect, mainly because I am from Syria. It is a simple thing, but I feel happy.😊❤

[@janaghanem1603]

I wait for your videos every single day brcause you gimme a lot of motivation. You are such an inspiring person! Good luck in your life!

[@DanialZHPrivate]

13:20 I understand you very well at this part, in my main channel where I speak English and I have Dub audio for Persian, people from other languages are less likely to judge my accent (only sometimes) but the people who have my Native language make the most judgment and bothering me all the time!

[@DanialZHPrivate]

Thank you! you helped me to be more confident and care about what is important instead of focusing on my accent too much!

[@lolalola20]

Thank you, Zoe. Such an interesting topic! Does the accent matter? Well, I'd say depends on the social context. If I am tourist in a foreign country, trying to speak local language, the accent doesn't matter at all. If I live in a country and I want to access to some important work position or to be fully accepted as a new citizen, the accent plays an important role. In this case, one needs to adapt to the local a accent unless he wants to be considered as a foreigner forever..

[@juliamurphy5943]

That is a really nice point that our accents tell a story of who we are and where we have been

[@milanhrvat]

I lived in Hong Kong for nearly 15 years. The Chinese would always say, yeah you speak super fluent Cantonese, but you still have an "slight" accent like it was the deal breaker. In reality most people don't even care what accent you have, as long as you speak fluently and clear. Though for German, I had MANY people say "wow, your accent is nearly perfect, it's so good... how did you learnt that...". I put so many hours in accent reduction, because of the various discriminatory beliefs I had about how Germans perceive you if you sound like an immigrant. THOUGH, many people associate a BETTER accent with HIGHER proficiency. I remember, those ABC Chinese that had PERFECT accent, but rubbish proficiency in Cantonese. People would assume they could understand or even speak well, but because of that it was assumed they spoke better than me when I could speak at a higher level.

[@valerieayla4687]

After a while you understand "accent" is very much a social power dynamic. Sigh. Let them play their games : )

[@YogaBlissDance]

I teach on Italki and I constantly tell folks who have a slight accent OMG, you don't want folks to think you are American per se'. Its MORE IMPRESSIVE that you speak a 2nd language- that you learned a language! Most U.S. folks in cities who are not bigoted- don't care-it's the U.S. we are used to accents and frankly too busy to bother. Especially in bigger cities like NYC...as long as we can EASILY understand you- I don't care where you are from nor do most sophisticated folks. Unlike the French apparently- English is so widespread- most of us just roll with it. Now if accent/prounciation is REALLY STRONG so it interferes then that is a problem.

[@caitimacl8280]

Great video, fascinating topic. Thank you for your work.

[@marilenecoelho8306]

Menina você é um gênio!!!!! Acho que só falta o Português na sua lista. MUITO INTERESSANTE SEUS VÍDEOS. Thank you very much

[@YhLau-mq6or]

I love the idea of don't let the accent bothers you to speak. I am super connected to your view. May I know your opinion if someone have thick accent until a level that ppl need more times to understand you, is that a signal that you should try fixing it? (for example: a super thick Indian accent, is kinda difficult to understand). My english has no problem at all when I am in Malaysia. But when I come to Germany, ppl sometimes can't understand me because of my accent.

[@CjxJamie]

Hi. Fellow Malaysian here. It's not the accent, it's our articulation that might be difficult to understand, for those who are not used to it. Just look at the language structure of your comment: it's basically Chinese/Malay translated into English, not the way a native English speaker would put it. It's the same for your German friends, they are most likely speaking German English, instead of English English. What we can do is learn to express ourselves as clearly as possible using the most simple and basic sentences. In other words try to make it as "universal" as possible.

[@chonp9266]

I love your critical thinking and the way you articulate them. Could you share how you've developed them. Thank you :)

[@hassie1995]

for me i just focus on acquiring the "native-like" american accent in english because it'll help me grow in my career. i don't really care about accent much with the other languages i'm learning.

[@isalutfi]

Wow, this is great topic. Thank you Joe for sharing about accent illusion. Your explanation will be helpful so much.

[@ericc7532]

Great video!!

[@KYUNGWONCHAI-su1id]

your vedios are the bestest in the youtube. and one of the beautyful teacher in the all of online i had saw.please upload many videos and tell us somthing~~❤

[@B87780386]

Brilliant perspective on accents, great video. Hope your candles in the background are not real flames around your books. Be careful my friend ;)

[@Callia_Art]

Accents can get funny when you're a beginner language learner, but then you get used to them and understand them ☺

[@omar-n.o.r]

أنا من سوريا و سعيد لكونك تتحدثي الللهجة السورية بشكل جيد . لقد درست اللغة الصينية لفترة طويلة من الوقت و رغم ذلك لا أزال لا أستطيع التحدث بها بطلاقة .

[@ianlucas7876]

Diversity is a treasure ♥

[@tabysqyzy]

Thank you video ❤

[@jenisalwaysreading]

I'm so glad you've done an accent on this. I'm an ESL teacher and the amount of stress and self-consciousness my students feel about their accents, which are perfectly lovely, is stunning. I wish people would embrace their accents because they are a beautiful sign of where you're from, and as long as you communicate clearly then no one will notice your accent. And, please remember, Britain is more than just RP and there is more than the generic American accent too, so there is no true English accent. You're just adding to the beautiful mix of accents.

[@umairsiddiqui8780]

You are looking more beautiful day by day

[@pierreabbat6157]

I knew a Brazilian who moved to the USA at the age of five. He has a North American accent in English and speaks Spanish fluently (which is easy if you grow up speaking Portuguese) but has a strong accent of the part of Brazil he's from (RJ or SP, forget which) in Spanish. I met Reinaldo Siqueira, head of Jewish Adventist Friendship, last year. He too is Brazilian, but I didn't recognize his accent, because he's from MG, and the accent there is different, even though I've been in BH. But when he said להבדיל /ləhavd͡ʒil/ that gave it away - /d͡ʒi/ for /di/ is a Brazilian trait. My own accent in English, Spanish, and probably French is a mixup of all three.

[@CrisTryingToBeProductive]

I accepted the fact that my English accent will be like it is forever, because I'm not willing to put the effort and the time to fix it. I speak Brazilian Portuguese and I believe it's the same thing, I cared about pronouncing well. Now with Mandarin I'm more concerned of being able to understand several accents and pronounce well. The other language I tried is German, for some reason that seems easier to imitate. Now for French I do want to put the extra effort because the pronunciation is more demanding in my opinion.

[@sonialabadi5023]

We shouldn't care about accent because the most important is the sharing our ideas and speek whith others 😊

[@juliamurphy5943]

I love your videos Zoe

[@jaysterling26]

3:09 - 'h' dropping is natural in alot ( most?) English (Scots/Welsh?) accents , especially Latin/ French origin words e.g. hospital, hotel plus germanic have , how, her, etc. However, I don't recommend non natives to do it unless they're romance speakers already ( & only for the Latin origin words). Not sure use , 'native'. In parts of Britain, English wasn't native & this has affected how those areas pronunce English up to today. Likewise, generations of originally foreign communities in London still have distinct accents speaking English . Received Pronunciation is the gold standard ( I try to imitate on the'phone at work...).

[@CjxJamie]

Fellow Malaysian here. It's not the accent, it's the way we articulate that non-Malaysians do not understand. I mean, just look at what you wrote: the language structure, it's basically Chinese translated to English, not English the way a native speaker would say it. It's the same for German friends that I have (from anywhere actually), they are speaking German English actually and not real English English. What we can do is to learn how to express ourselves clearly in the most simple, basic way possible. In other words, make your expression as "universal" as possible.

[@damir3804]

Я помню чудное мгновенье, Ко мне пришло уведомленье, Что Зоя скинула видос, С меня комментик и лайкос!

[@mustafabaris9681]

Anyone who takes the time and the energy to learn and speak a foreign language fluently has already done an impressive job. If they are also able to master the accent they have just taken that impressiveness to the next level. At the end of the day the purpose of any language is to provide a common tool that people use to communicate effectively with each other.. I am from Ankara, Turkey and can speak fluent Chinese because I lived in China many years . I have a Korean friend who lives in Beijing , China and we often communicate with each other using Mandarin Chinese since she can't speak English that well and I can not speak Korea at all. However, we have no problem in communicating in Chinese , that is the ultimate purpose of the language, the accent part is not the most important aspect.. Speaking of accents let me finish my comment with a nice joke : An Australian soldier joins the army in the USA to serve side by side with the American soldiers and the commander comes out to greed each soldier. When the commander faces the Australian soldier he asks with a loud voice : Are you here to die ? The Australian soldier replies : No sir, I came here yesterday .. Cheers ! 😊😊

[@mcqueenXO]

Haha! Cute joke!😂

[@mustafabaris9681]

You got the joke yes ? 😀😀@@mcqueenXO

[@mcqueenXO]

I did. 😄

[@marioluiscarbajofabra]

How elegant you are, girl.

[@blancocardiff1967]

I have taiwanese mandarin(台灣國語) strongly accents. But you know what Minnan language came from Tang Dynasty over thousand years ago originally.

[@shamsalden6219]

معلومات جيبد شكرا للفائده

[@agjim3930]

👏👏👏👏👏 I agree with you

[@rollingdownfalling]

I am surprise that people from China think RP is "highly regarded" accent. In England, it is viewed as being posh, and it is often not a good thing. In Harry Potter, you'd notice that it is the older generation who still use this accents. I recommend you to watch a british TV sitcom called "Keeping up Appearances", you'll understand what I mean by this, otherwise you wouldn't have a context.

[@martinvanschalk5973]

The way the younger British generations are speaking English is just terrifying. Evolution has gone way too far.

[@rollingdownfalling]

@@martinvanschalk5973 it depends on what accent you're talking about, and where you're from. The further north you go to, the less likely you'd be able to understand them, take Middlesbrough for example. So I am not sure what you're talking about. If you're not from an English speaking country, then BBC is a safe bet.

[@hnionrya]

I'm trying all my best to mastered all Chinese accent

[@Chris--979]

hello Zoe 😊

[@sarkalakoma2228]

Hi Zoe I Have a problem Have to decided what should I starting learning persian or arabian. What you can offering to me

[@ibrahimcan2498]

Hello Zoe, I want to learn Arabic in a short time as possible but I don't know what is the right first step. Could you help?

[@tonychang9354]

Your accent is such a cool and sweet one. I love you, you're so beautiful

[@yakamoz-yurek12]

I love your english accent😅

[@Space.Panda1805]

13:45 Chinese followers: You're the only one who think that about the chinese accent. People who don't speak chinese, like me, find that accent really cute🥰, specially when it's really fluent and easy to follow like Zoe's. Hello Zoe! How are you? Your pronunciation is soo great, I wish with practice, I can get that high level like you 🥳💪The only word, that I think you mispronounce sometimes is "Skills" 🤔at 9:36. IPA is /skɪl/ but I always hear something like "skius", you add a little U there. This isn't for critise or anything, please, I only tell you because you see like someone who is really into details🤗 Have a nice day Zoe ❤A big hug from Argentina!!😘

[@zoe.languages]

It's really difficult for me to pronounce the 'l' at the end of words. 😂 I have been practicing, but it's something that often slips my muscle memory.

[@Space.Panda1805]

@@zoe.languages Like me then a word has to many consonants, native Spanish here 🙋‍♀and our language is mostly vowells 😂

[@Steven-Xie]

您好Zoe，我非常喜欢您的视频，质量非常高，您也非常漂亮。我是大专学历，想要到英语国家工作，正在努力考取雅思。有大学英语四级基础，目前在自学英语。您可否帮忙给一些学习英语的关键性建议，谢谢您

[@rollingdownfalling]

I found a pattern that a lot Chinese are much more critical of other people's foreign language skill (it can be really offensive sometime). English native speaker are more forgiving unless if they cannot comprehend what you are saying such as extremely jumbled up syntax or very poor pronunciation that just sounded very uncomfortable. However, there are always a group of people that can be quite arrogant and racist imo. (happens in any country).

[@1rasINK]

'Subtitles' didn't seem so necessary in that video. She speaks very fluently.

[@Lennie423]

謝謝分享 我很喜歡妳的觀點！

[@Indian_Rajput]

Do Chinese ever heard of Sanskrit संस्कृत It's Soul language of India, it's a Vedic ancient language, it's mother of Indo European languages

[@Englishpracticeasy]

I would like to practice in english

[@jankxyard]

Imo it's important to be understood well instead of having the pitch perfect accent. The good example is various accents in English - I understand Indians much more clearly than any other (like Brittish, Aussies or god forbid Scots and Irish), even tho India has funny accent to most of the world. Many Chinese people also have great pronunciation to my ears (except for the bluechooth lady meme). As long as you're not trying to be a secret agent trying to blend in or some other unlikely BS, accent is just a neutral "dye" of the way you speak. Some people likes blue more, other people might prefer orange.

[@Airbus32040]

Hello mam. I can understand english language, but i can't speak because word do not come in my mind😢.

[@zikster99]

Some are accent. Some are simply just mispronounced. As a language learner you can't just use accent as an excuse to mispronounce words.

[@NimcaAre]

كيف اتعلم اللغة الانجليزية او تحدث بسهله

[@pinusong]

我竟然觉得你长的好漂亮，真的是集美貌和才华于一身的奇女子

[@sractionasia5655]

I'm from nepal, and my accent is just like an indian one.....when someone speak in indian accent i understand almost all but, same statement in a british or an American accent i couldn't able to understand 😢

[@NurAmira-qz6oh]

acent arre literary, " dog sound " of a native talk ( most British will understood, if I say " the acent of a hermit's den """ )

[@jsjhs2068]

Fun fact: my english is A2 but i can hear foregin acents like slavic/french/ german 😁 can sombody explain it to me?

[@muratomar6502]

Why do native English speakers don't care about accent while speaking in other languages???

[@DialecticalJuche]

not everyone can have an unique chinese accent like you zoe

[@عبد_الرحمن]

Fourth 💀?

[@陳鈞鼎]

要學習漢語語言學

[@YangsterBangs]

you have a funny accent when speaking english

[@Tom-猫]

你好呀！哈哈

[@別府有光]

我说中文说的很好

[@EVILWez-YT]

How do I empress this... Zoe seems to be somewhat stressed and puffy, the body language is a bit off on this video, not like normal... Hope all is well in life, as I really enjoy the videos. Perhaps I'm just thinking too much...

[@DBLinguae]

要是只有你这么说，就是你说错了；要是有一亿人这么说，那就是accent；要是有十亿人都这么说，那，那就是印度英语。

[@yakamoz-yurek12]

In india English is given more importance and respect . Like pakistan . I don't know why . If you speak too much english you belong to well educated and more advanced family even if youre'nt .

[@Hafssa333]

❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@aof4507]

สวยจัง

[@kingLam-dz9hz]

如果可以找到一個像zeo的女朋友一樣就好，因為可以補正我的不足。😂

[@陳鈞鼎]

我是單身

[@همامالجبوري-ط9ص]

❤❤👍👍👍

[@rendezvousss]

hey, if you want to practice English together, please leave a comment. advanced speakers please 😊

[@陳鈞鼎]

快來Taiwan 已經破解漢語語言學

[@saraboucetta1902]

#free_palestine❤

[@陳鈞鼎]

是

[@martinvanschalk5973]

Speaking English with a Chinese accent is like cutting the language into pieces - like a butcher doing his job.

[@GooglekaAashirwad-wl8sw]

I just came here to see most preety woman I have ever seen on KZbin.

[@shinramendaisuki6072]

True China is in Taiwan. Taiwan No. 1!

[@ansonuuu]

能听懂让人理解，口音无所谓 如果无法让人理解，口音就是大问题

[@pepperpeterpiperpickled9805]

Do your best to speak like a native. practice every day. there's nothing more annoying than struggling to listen to someone speaking broken English. British people have trouble understanding English speakers from Scotland. The best English is the kind you can understand. If you can be understood clearly and dont mispronounce every 5th word, then youre fine.

[@1Cup1]

you don't need to be Muslim To Support Palestine Free Palestine

[@lojaynmohamed6797]

Free palestine 🇵🇸 ❤

[@habibafares9009]

God bless Palestine 🇵🇸🇵🇸♥️

[@habibafares9009]

@@rosaschwanz3038 Because Palestinian are starving right now and no one cares 💔 If Palestine is liberated from occupation, the people there will have a normal life, without killing, without famine.

[@amalakram8755]

From the river to the sea❤

[@tatjana5427]

❤❤🇵🇸💚💚

[@Snk13_ty]

​@habibafares9009 They shouldn't have murdered Isrealies. Hamas sacrificed thousands of Palestinians that day because they knew Isreal would retaliate while they hide among the civilians in Gaza.It's crazy how many people say "Free Palestine" but don't real care about the lives of these people. It's super disingenuous. The BDS propaganda has failed completely ✌🏾

[@learnjapanesewithsam2469]

The most important task is to acquire the ability to be understood. The next most important task is to remove aesthetically-aggravating additional errors from your pronunciation. Then you can relax. Until then, no serious language learner should relax. If you have materially failed to acquire the phonetics and phonology of your target language, you are not a successful language learner. In this video, you pronounce the word 'strive' without the final consonant. I understand that this word-final 'v' must be hard for Chinese speakers, but it's important. Strike? Stripe? Strife? Strive? Strikes? Stripes? Strifes? Strives? You can't just chop off these word-final consonants. That would be like us speaking Chinese without tones. This is a radical failure to acquire the language, however you try and spin it. Zoe, the only story your pronunciation tells is that you can't pronounce English properly. There are sections in this video where I have no idea what you're saying, even after having listened four or five times. And you're just reading a text, not speaking in realtime! You can settle for that, but I don't think you should encourage others to. Mediocrity is everywhere, it doesn't need any encouragement.