Is English My NATIVE Language?

In this stream I will address all the speculation about my accent and whether or not I'm a native speaker of English! :)
00:00 Pre-stream
01:14 "PAUL IS GERMAN OR SOMETHING!"
04:45 Is English my native language?
9:36 Speaking clearly for the audience
13:47 Living in a foreign country
15:43 Teaching EFL
16:46 Interference from other languages?
19:40 Reciting a script on camera
20:46 Being an introvert
22:47 Insomnia
25:57 Neurodivergence?
33:33 Social confusion vs language learning
36:29 Summing up (the main point)
37:43 Hanging out with the chat
54:13 Language memes
1:00:27 Bye!

[@joelsavoie8641]

"Are you sure you're canadian?" Is such a wild thing to say. Like yeah. If someone says theyre canadian. I think theyre sure

[@paulfaulkner6299]

I can understand why this would boil his piss - it would boil mine. Not the "Where are you from?" question - the _Are you sure? / No you can't be!_ reposts he then gets! The guy is a goldmine who is educating the rest of us and he should not have to put up with these sorts of reposts, should he?

[@joshuabeavin7659]

"People keep asking me if I'm _sure_ I'm Canadian and I haven't really had an answer. But now? YEAH, I'M THINKING I'M CANADIAN."

[@Prilavolus]

Didn't Dame Edna once ask k.d. lang the same question in a very ironic manner. "How did you know for sure that you were completely Canadian." k.d. laughed out loud and played right along with her. I almost gather that people who don't think Paul sounds Canadian perhaps haven't been exposed to a lot of speakers from Western Canada. His accent sounds very distinctive to me. Maybe people aren't accustomed to careful speakers anymore.

[@SaturnineXTS]

What if a Canadian identifies as an American?

[@Prilavolus]

@@SaturnineXTS You might expect a bit of hybridization, depending on the circumstances. Paul's pronunciation reminds me a little of actress Beverly Owens's. She was born in Golden, BC, which is actually not far from Calgary, AB.

[@surfboarding5058]

He’s clearly from middle earth

[@disrespectthemwomensubjuga5471]

Paulbo baggins

[@arsenez.2432]

​@@forkes1886nice to see someone who speaks quenya!

[@gabor6259]

He's rocking that Gondor accent.

[@surfboarding5058]

@@gabor6259 😂

[@mhayartuz82]

Can some of you guys stop he's literally telling the truth you're just ruining it also he's not from middle earth i'm going to poop my pants if you do that again

[@OhioCruffler]

It's the clear, complete enunciation, AND your volume and stress levels do not vary nearly as much as most people's. I think it is the volume and enunciation together to give you the clipped "robotic" tone. The extreme accuracy gives you the foreign vibe because good students do that too.

[@Langfocus]

To some extent that might be the audio compression and hard limiter I use while recording, to make sure my voice doesn't get too quiet or too loud. But I'm also making an effort to speak up, so my voice doesn't fizzle out and get too soft (even if the audio compression keeps it from sounding too quiet). I don't know if my volume is normally that consistent.

[@OhioCruffler]

@@Langfocus Just for fun you should do a few sentences the way you would talk to family or your friends.

[@generaledelogu1892]

If it makes you feel a bit better, seeing the notification for this livestream shocked me; I thought "wait, his first language isn't English? You've gotta be joking!". Didn't realize these comments were so frequent on your videos. Always assumed you just were speaking clearly and at worst had an interesting local accent from Canada; as a Pennsylvanian you always sounded Canadian to me. Thanks for the interesting dive into how you speak, and for all the interesting videos over the years!

[@shanemichaelneal648]

This! He always sounded anglo Canadian as all heck to me! From the US here as well, so maybe as his neighbors who speak a variety of North American English we hear perhaps more clearly the small differences but understand the similarities then too.

[@Alfonso162008]

I'm not from the US nor a native English speaker, and when I first started watching this channel I had no idea where he was from or if he was a native speaker, but once I learned he's from Canada, I just assumed he had a more particular, maybe rural, accent (most of the exposure to canadian culture I've experienced has been through Hollywood actors and stuff like that, so the canadian English I've heard is much more similar to what we hear in American media, I've not been as exposed to the variety of accents that there are there). But I never doubted that he was canadian.

[@shanemichaelneal648]

@@Alfonso162008 That's super interesting. I remember staying at a B&B place in Kitchener, ON years back. We drove from Michigan across and we were on our way to Toronto to see a friend. Anywho, The host almost sounded Irish in a way but still very 'North American' too. She was apparently from the Kitchener area though. It seems like there are some rural or regional accents in Canada that can sound rather distinct, especially Newfies lol.

[@todesque]

Never was in any doubt that Paul is a native English-speaking Canadian. (This is coming from an Aussie who's spent half his life in the US, so my ear is fairly well attuned to North American accents.)

[@beasley1232]

I am from Chicago and I agree! Paul just sounds like an average west coast Canadian to me. When people think of Canadian accents they might think of Ontario (Toronto) for example which might affect how some people view Canadian English, but there is more accents in Canada then just the ones in Ontario.

[@shanemichaelneal648]

Same, not an Aussie but from the US and grew up all across it. Never once thought he sounded anything other than Canadian lol

[@alisonbrandt5901]

My first thought when I first heard you some years ago was, "Now there's an experienced ESL/ EFL teacher." Like you, I've lived in Asia for years and modify my (originally broad Australian) accent without even thinking when with non-Aussies. Most people's first guesses for my nationality are southern English or German

[@Amy-tm3rh]

I thought you were German in the English video, but you sound Canadian here. I just discovered your channel this evening.

[@PineappleSkip]

I’m with you. I spent 12 years working in countries where many of my colleagues didn’t speak English well. So I very quickly learned to throw away my broad Australian accent, which noone coukd made sense of, and started sounding like an English speaking moon man in an attempt to be clearer. It worked better than the broad Aussie.

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I'm from the US south and heck, other Americans couldn't understand me sometimes when I was a kid. I started working on some "pan American" speaking habit for people to understand me better. I still have an accent, but I speak with intention and thought. My daughter learned English off of me this way and people think she's British!

[@evilotis01]

yeah, same. having said that, i'm now in NYC, and the fact that people here don't understand me makes me want to sound MORE Australian. it's not even like i have an especially strong accent-i'm from Melbourne, and i spent a few years in London in my early 20s, so its pretty neutral. nevertheless, a lot of the time people here hear my accent for the first time and look at me like i'm speaking Chinese. it makes me want to be all like, "YEAH G'DAY CUNT I'M A FUCKEN AUSSIE NOW PASS ME A FUCKEN DURRY".

[@hair2050]

😊am Australian also, left at 26, returning 28 years later, happen to be in china right now however. Same deal. Began with a typical Aussie accent. I deliberately mellowed it out when vowels when living in nz. Now English Australians and nz’s are often unable to place me correctly. The vast majority of the world’s population that speaks English can however understand me, which was the point of my deliberate accent softening. Communication is being human and being human is communicating. Removing as many impediments to it as possible is a good thing in my book.

[@evilotis01]

@@hair2050 oh i totally agree. it's just something about the "Excuuuuuuse me?: i get every time i open my mouth here that brings out the brat in me lol

[@aleewade4162]

I always assumed you were a non-native English speaker, I just never cared enough to give it a second thought. Instead, as a long time viewer, I've always enjoyed and appreciated your content. In this era of KZbin Quitting, I really hope you don't burn out but continue to create awesome videos. Long-belated THANKS

[@anonymousbloke1]

May I know why you assumed he's non-native? There are 0 aspects to his way of speaking that make him stand out as someone whose native language isn't English, as far as I'm concerned (he also looks like he's fully English but honestly idk).

[@boghund]

​@@anonymousbloke1 to me personally what stands out the most is the intonation of certain words, such as the way he says "audience" at 9:38. We kind of goes up a little bit an extra time, I guess? I don't know how to explain it properly haha but it kinda sounds like he's stressing the first AND last syllables.

[@illiiilli24601]

​@@anonymousbloke1I think it's his overly precise enunciation and pronunciation

[@aleewade4162]

@@anonymousbloke1 I work with a lot of Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians who speak English much better than the Americans, English and Irish on the team. Every aspect is superior: enunciation, conjugation and a lack of conversational "lazy speak" used in formal presentations. Oddly enough, the Canadians tend to fall in the middle, better than the other native-English speakers, but not as good as the Europeans. Also, there a few word pronunciations that tend to identify someone from Canada or Michigan UP that I haven't heard, or maybe just missed.

[@anonymousbloke1]

@@aleewade4162 >much better They make more of an effort, you mean. That doesn't necessarily mean "better", especially since they highly likely still have foreign accents when speaking English

[@bill_tube]

Your part about neurodivergence kind of freaked me out because it sounded like you were talking about me! Great video.

[@Langfocus]

A lot of people hear about it and think it sounds like them. With closer reflection on your life, you can consider whether it’s really a possibility (if you feel like it’s important to do that).

[@neomeo1045]

Just an add on to what Paul has said here, and hopefully not unsolicited discussion it is simply that I this is all very familiar for me as well (including the people asking about my speaking patterns) so I am somewhat personally invested in the discussion, it doesn't really matter. The label of disability has always annoyed me as I think it leaves out the nuance of the spectrum. If you care about the way you sound, I have found researching pronunciation in the context of acting/accent lessons to be quite useful in adapting your speaking patterns to be 'more normal'. Interestingly though, I find speaking in a different language to be quite similar to when I speak English (my native language). I currently live in France and speak French daily but when I first moved here and began to speak, it was more difficult because I had my normal social anxieties in addition to the anxiety that my French was being spoken poorly and I would be misunderstood. This has dissipated some as I grew more confident with my language ability but it is simply moving to the same place as English. Also, a side note that I am curious about, is whether others have a fixation on being understood accurately. I think this is always a concern of mine and I feel like I choose my words carefully because I am afraid that if I don't then I may be misunderstood.

[@LookingForAnotherPlanet]

I always thought you were a native English speaker who was simply speaking as clearly as possible so, great job! And thanks for sharing; I'm an introvert too and I totally get that part. People don't think that I am but it's simply because I've had years of experience talking with clients, colleagues and guests.

[@davidmccormack99]

My wife and I are both software engineers. One of our adult children has an ASD diagnosis, and we strongly suspect that both of us are also neurodivergent in some way. For all the years that I’ve been a big fan of your channel, my assumption has been that you have ASD. To me, it is as obvious as the day is long because the similarity with my child is too great. So, while your reveal doesn’t surprise me even slightly, I do welcome it. Thanks.

[@whohan779]

If there's one thing I'm sure I've learned from having a rock-solid ASD diagnosis at age 4, it's that those that aren't too handicapped by the condition rather easily know their peers. Sometimes it sadly is through rejection or bullying by "neuro-normative" children/adolescents, but there's just this unspeakable vibe for me. If he's not part of the spectrum then I'm questioning reality itself.

[@tj-co9go]

all the best people are always revealed to be autistic in the end, lol I am an autist and love linguistics, it is one of my special interests

[@FifthCat5]

I like the way you speak. I hear your speech as elegant and slightly formal, like many academics, which I find aesthetically pleasing. The most important thing is that you are never boring. I actually watch your videos from beginning to end without losing interest, which is partly because of the subject matter but also has to do with the way you sound. For the record it has never occurred to me that you were anything other than Canadian and a native speaker!

[@Langfocus]

Thanks, I'm glad you like my videos, and I'm glad it's partly because of the way I speak. :)

[@photonspark]

As a long term subscriber, it was nice getting to know you more Paul😊 I think we all have traits that make us unique, no reason to label oneself which could turn negative. As long as we're contributing we're doing our life's calling.

[@paulfaulkner6299]

You're a good man, Paul. I too had asked you once a long while ago (4 or 5 years +) where you're from as I couldn't place your accent (I am British English). I can tell how much this must be a wind up. Can I offer you an unreserved apology for my part in your gears being ground like this. You're a good man, Paul. Don't give up. You have a fantastic output which is educative and informative. Sorry for your trouble

[@Langfocus]

Don't worry, it's not that big of a deal. It's just a bizarre experience to be a public figure (if I can call myself that) and read what people write about you. Imagine being able to read people's minds and hear everything they're thinking about you. It's like that.

[@mickanderson3547]

You're killing it man, keep up the good work.

[@Langfocus]

Thank you, Mick!

[@gioq4702]

north Germany bordering with Denmark is right where the Angles and Saxons came from , spot on! :D jokes apart, as an Italian, not even an English native speaker, I am puzzled by all these questions. People who have never exited their own courtyard I presume.

[@beasley1232]

I am American, and Paul just sounds like an average West Coast North American (USA/Canada).

[@Asptuber]

This one resonated with me. I wonder exactly which sounds it is that triggers this DK/DE border association, because I have it too.

[@ruralsquirrel5158]

When I first started watching your channel I thought you were from Minnesota or thereabouts. I wasn't far off.

[@itchy7879]

I appreciate the honesty in the conversation about having autism / autistic traits. It's totally okay to not know! I wouldn't be terribly surprised if you did either after hearing you explain ways in which you relate to autistic people's experiences ftr I'm also neurodivergent (diagnosed ADHD with possibly some autistic traits as well)

[@AquaticJackie]

I think people think you aren't native because you almost only speak in a formal ultra-clear way with a neutralised accent on this channel, something people may associate with a non-native who is superior in commanding English, e.g. a German teaching English in a German university. Btw I think your last video on the journey adopting RP is so interesting. So creative. Seen people faking another accent but not analyzing and improving on it step by step. You're such a big geek! HAHA

[@user-hg6nz3fi6r]

I love your English, it is very easy and clear. Greetings to you from Iraq 🇮🇶🇨🇦

[@RetiredPolyglot]

It’s kind of funny, I’ve been watching your videos for years and I’ve never thought you sounded “non-native”😅

[@nateonmission]

Years ago, I briefly wondered where you’re from, because of your careful articulation. Then you said “about”. 😀

[@BellaBellaElla]

"a different type of Canadian" Like yer made of chocolate or something jaja

[@BellaBellaElla]

Thanks for likin my comment Paul but ... turn off yer phone, go to bed!! ;)

[@indetif839]

Paul I'm a big fan and a subscriber . Living in GTA but originally from the Midwest in the US. I'm also a former linguist, studied several languages and was a professor for 10 years . I moved to Canada 20 years ago. Only two people ever identified me as a non-Canadian speaker, because my Midwest state borders Canada. Your points are great and I have recommended this video to an ESL teacher/friend. I NEVER assumed you were a non-native speaker... but I always suspected your ARE a teacher.

[@user-ox4dz3ll7e]

Personally after watching your chanel for many years I would say your content and the way you present it pronunciation-wise was a huge help for me, when I was just tipping my toes into english speaking enviroment. Back then I'd been struggling to find eglish content which would be clear to the point where there isn't much of my effort to keep up with the pace (i. e. pausing a video every now and then to replay), yet which is not boring and primitive, up until I stumbled upon your chanel. Thank you a lot for your work!

[@Yous0147]

Awesome video Paul, very open and honest of you to take this discussion and bring it into light with some very good points made.

[@alexanderalsen4663]

Im very happy to have you as member of the internet polyglot community. You put well researched videos that almost makes me like grammar:-) Greetings from Sweden

[@mikaelrundqvist2338]

I hade another "strange" thought that you pronunciation was because of you're parents where native danes but now you explained it to be 4th generation it's to farfetched 😊

[@pedrocastro2171]

Your accent for me is the best, you speak clearly, I can understand everything that you speak. Two or three days ago I have showed your accent to my fiance to exemplify a clear English accent

[@Alaytheo]

Your delivery works fine. You just seem very deliberate about your word choice, what you want to say. Love the channel.

[@kleckerklotz9620]

When you having trouble falling asleep, you can do a few things to increase the chance. Here are some things that you can try: 1) Try to have a better timing of your stresses. Your stress should be at daytime. Try to calm down in the evening. Get things done at daytime and don't stress yourself in the evening, if you can't manage everything. Turn off your smartphone, computer and TV in the evening. I know that's difficult. But disconnection is a way. Especially when your mind stops you from falling asleep. Also meditation can help. Any kind of meditation would do. Even if it's just going for a walk. 2) Get enough light around the day. Best would be sunlight. But like stress turn it down in the evening. Blueblockers at night, if you can't change your habits. 3) Get enough exercise at daytime. You don't need to become an athlete. But something is always better than nothing. Try to see it like that: Your brain evolved to fulfill your physical needs. Not the other way around. Your body needs to be moved. 4) No food minimum 3 hours before you go to bed. Same applies to drugs (coffeine included). Unless you need to take some medication in the evening. 5) When you want to be able to get up earlier, it's no good idea to go to bed earlier. You need to stand up earlier, even if that means that did not get enoug sleep for that night. You can only catch up on sleep. But not sleep in advance. 6) Try to stay consistent in your sleep schedule. Don't wake up early one day and sleep in the other. Your sleep schedule should match with your circadian rythm. If you want to find out your true circadian rythm, get on camping holiday for at least two weeks and disconnect. 7) Try to find out if it's only not enough time or even sleep quality. Sleep quality can be an indicator of illness (e.g. respiratory failure) or psychological problems. If it's sleep quality consider professional help. 8) Don't take it too seriously. Not enough sleep is certainly not good for your health. But sometimes it's just the way it is. Don't stress yourself about it. Do it step by step. 9) If none of the above helps, start a sleep diary, where you list your stresses around the day, when you ate your last meal, when you went to bed and when you stood up. It can give you a hint of what you can do differently. Good luck, man. I know it's not easy. I have almost the same symptoms like you.

[@selladore4911]

pretty good advice lol

[@MyGreenPets]

Paul I appreciate your taking the time to connect personally with this community, YOUR community. It has been enjoyable getting to know you better through this chat, and the added insight into your personality makes all your videos even nicer to watch. I did not realize the amount of effort you put into your words, and the discussion around neurodivergence was eye-opening and relatable. Thank you and I wish you much continued success.

[@Wazkaty]

Funny ! I'm French and always thank that you were from somewhere in the Americas (yes, I almost know nothing about English American accents) but for sure, not European. As a French it's obvious that you're not European, and I've always appreciated your efforts of pronounciation ! It was clearly for us, this 'neutral accent' PS: it's amazing for your kid! Native English Speaker and native Japanese speaker ! Great job and good luck, it's hard to teach to his family. And I think that the introvert part, somehow I felt it through your work, is hard when your audience is from diverse horizons. I like this vibe, for me it's a perfect balance between the personal and the professional. You're the first I followed, years ago. I learned a lot with you, in English which is now m'y Lingua Franca, so because you use a kind of RP pronounciation, I learned to learn grammar etc. in English. So thank you a lot ! Specifially aaall your work about dialects (don't like this word, but...) as Jamaicain, especially Moroccan! Really impressive. And I think you may be on the spectrum, but without any problems of communication : sciences are discovering what it is. I felt it a bit too, but, do you really care ? Haha, it's a good thing if you're okay with that, and your analytic way of teaching us makes me think it is a possibility. But, don't listen people about that, especially because people will talk about your family, your son or I don't know. It is your private life. I talked about it only because YOU talk about it before, hope I wasn't rude. Thank you again' for all your work

[@FirstLast-uj9ud]

Great stream! I only caught the tail end of your stream, I'm going back and watching the VOD now. Interesting to know your parents aren't first generation immigrants-I knew your first language was English, but your accent sounds quite reminiscent of some of my second generation Canadian friends. If I had to identify what sounds "non-native" about your accent, I'd actually point to the way you pronounce your vowels. A standard North American accent is typically described as being very relaxed and open, but the way you pronounce vowels sounds a lot more closed off, comparable to a traditional RP accent. The combination of tight, closed-off vowels and overenunciated consonants gives the impression of a Dutch or German accent.

[@user-hg2bl5yh3x]

Calgary Canada checking in. Hey Paul I have been watching your videos over the years. Always super accurate and interesting. I have thought the way you talk can be somewhat exaggerated but I have always chalked that up to the precise and accurate nature of your style of delivery plus some aspects of individual personality to me you always come across as a language teacher that often over enunciate somewhat but I have never once thought u were a non native speaker 🤣 it’s funny having to defend it so much but inquisitive minds want to know so that’s understandable. To be fair a lot of your viewers we have a strong interest in linguistics so your words and way of speaking is going to be dissected to a higher degree plus we all like to guess at where someone’s accent is from so I get why some ppl would venture a guess if they did not previously know. To me you sound 100% Canadian you just enunciate like an ESL teacher because you provide highly accurate linguistic content so that style of speaking matches the content but I have never thought you are a non native speaker 🇨🇦

[@philpaine3068]

This has been a fascinating lesson in both linguistics and psychology. I share the same sleep problem, so that part was gratifying for me to hear. I also share some of the same psychological features. I can understand why many people guessed Montreal or Ottawa Valley, since English-speakers in that region often speak with a slightly exaggerated enunciation. If you speak to some random person in Ottawa, it's a fifty-fifty chance whether English or French will be their primary language, and people enunciate in this way to maintain clarity. It's no surprise that the region has produced a lot of actors, radio personalities, and lawyers. I am French-English bilingual, from Northern Ontario, and noticed this long ago when visiting that region. I also maintain some "northern" mannerisms that raise eyebrows in Toronto --- these are often archaic pronunciations no longer used in urban Canada, the influence of French, or sometimes influences from Cree and Ojibway. If I say "ice cream" or "peanut butter" I don't sound normal to most people around me.

[@alexandercoleman6622]

That comment about the awkwardness of social interaction falling away when you’re speaking another language really resonates with me. I’m glad you said it, because I’d noticed it with myself but not been able to explain it up till now

[@Sweetlittlehugs]

To me, (Californian) you sound North America. You just have an interesting way a speaking. You enunciate very clearly.

[@javicruz9754]

Exactly!! I guess some comments are from some sad trolls who are bored and don't have anything else better to do

[@frosty_brandon]

+1, never doubted that he was Canadian at all

[@surfboarding5058]

Annunciate or enunciate ?

[@niall_sanderson]

@@frosty_brandonSame. He sounds like most people you’ll run into on the streets of our cities and towns

[@fishconnoisseur]

He enunciates like a Japanese person I’d say. Wouldn’t surprise me if he was from Okinawa.

[@linkash4167]

Fascinating video, thanks for sharing such personal thoughts

[@FredPauling]

Thanks for being you and thanks for creating Langfocus! Love your videos Paul.

[@Louisianish]

I never doubted you were a native anglophone, and I even speculated you were from north of the border before I saw a video where you said you were Canadian. I just figured you were annunciating a little more because you have an international audience. Glad to know my intuition was right.

[@JimFoxer]

I'm an American EFL teacher, and when I first stumbled upon your channel years ago, I admit that I too thought that English wasn't your first language. After hearing a video where you said you were Canadian, I tried to analyze why I thought that. To me now, it sounds like you are a native speaker, but speaking through clenched teeth. You also speak out of the right side of your mouth, but not your left, like Popeye the Sailor. If you watch yourself speak, you have a dimple on the left cheek (your left) and not the right. I assumed it was a physical issue, like dental work or something worse, a stroke. I'm sure this is why I noticed something different than the standard Canadian English accent.

[@josterha]

I'm so glad that you made this video. I've been watching you for years and always wondered what the deal was with your accent. I don't doubt that you are a native speaker or English from Canada, but it is good to have an open conversation about it. Now there is no doubt and my curiosity can now be quelled. 😊 I don't think the vast majority of people mean any offense with their questions, but like me were just curious. The answers you gave make sense, but I hope you can recognize why so many people ask the question.

[@darkstormheute]

When I started learning English actively around 2-3 years ago, I was really enjoying your videos (and am still enjoying) and really the way you speak which was really clear and I understood almost everything. I struggled with understanding native accents back then so you really helped me with it

[@grafvonkartoffel1455]

My favorite East German KZbinr 😂 jk, I'm American and never thought you sounded foreign

[@DrivingSander1970]

Hi Paul. Thanks for the video. To me you just sound like a Canadian and I really enjoy your videos as I enjoy learning about other languages. Keep up the good work and don't get distracted by people doubting you or where you're from originally. You're awesome.

[@kahlilbt]

My parents just have two extremely different American accents haha. I feel I'm in the same position as you in terms of the social simplicity of language learning, and in terms of having an international community I speak with. Your channel is always a joy

[@fabiorjr77]

As a non-native English speaker and resident in a country where it is not common to speak English on a daily basis, your English is the best I have ever heard. It's a teacher's perfect English.

[@smaza2]

wow you're a fantastic teacher. it's really interesting to get an explanation of how you communicate, sorry people keep doubting you

[@dmnemaine]

I have a partner who's Canadian (from Ontario), and I can definitely hear certain inflections and vowel pronunciations (particularly the short "o" sound) in your voice that sound very Canadian to me.

[@uamsnof]

I've noticed this as well. His long "o"s are also less diphthongized, in "I don't know. Go" etc.

[@Jo553Nas]

Thank you for sharing such personal topics!

[@abdelhakaitelhaj5817]

My dead sir Paul, First of all, I would like to warmly thank you for the efforts you put into your KZbin channel. I have been following you for years and through your channel I have learned a lot. After watching this video, I found myself similar to you in many things and I knew I was not alone in this world. I feel afraid of others. The space in which there is no trace of human could make me feel so comfortable. Talking to people requires a lot of effort from me. I should avoid talking to Wayne. I prefer writing to direct communication through speech. About your accent, I knew from the beginning that it was from North America. Even before I knew your nationality! Personally, I have learned a lot of words and concepts through your clips "videos' here on KZbin. Today I speak English well, clear and understandable words. Most of the people are confused about my nationality where I'm live. But no one is able to know where im from exactly. Why, well, I'm learning English from different sources, improving my skills in the communication and writing and speaking as well, most of my sources are from America or Canada or Europe (except British). In the end, I would like to tell you to keep going. You are doing us a great service. So that I am always happy with the videos that you publish in a clear, useful, important and educational way. (If you want to translate this video to Arabic language, I will be so happy to help you) because I did understand each word and sentence, without facing any problems). Thanks a lot My greetings

[@davwkea]

I am Australian and have develpoed an accent for my European and Asian friends. I can understand you using this claer speach for the non native English speakers. I was at a dance class in Berlin once and the teacher had an unusual accent. By the end of the class her accent changed to her natural accent . She came from Glasgow. This teacher was using the same clear English approach as you and I.

[@ayszhang]

I always knew you were a native speaker who lived too long abroad! 🤣 Coming from a Canadian TESOL teacher abroad! I myself have had to pronounce words like "bag" with the same vowel as "cat" even though I grew up with a diphthong for "bag, tag, etc."

[@shmuelparzal]

I understand about the enunciation thing. My normal accent is a British, East Midlands (Lincoln) accent. However, when I'm speaking in public to an audience, especially one that is made up of people who are not from Lincolnshire, I deliberately speak with a clear RP (Received Pronunciation) accent. It perhaps sounds too perfect, but I'm enunciating my words in order to be clearly understood by people who would not otherwise understand my normal Lincoln accent. When I'm speaking to someone whose native language is not English, my RP accent is even more pronounced. It's very common in Britain to have two accents or dialects (code-switching in your own language)

[@richardwaring8613]

Same here from another yellowbelly or does being born in Lincoln make me an Imp?

[@mickanderson3547]

I really appreciate it when British people to their best do speak in RP, because I have some slight hearing loss and I've had trouble with most accents. When I was in the army as a teenager, I had trouble understanding Southern American English. It was always a huge sigh of respect when "Southern folk" (as they call themselves) speak in a more neutral accent and I'm sure they could see the relief on my face.

[@williammullikin2076]

I thought RP was way out of fashion now

[@fizzplease6742]

There's a Scottish video game youtuber (Ai and Games) that in a recent video mentioned how his Scottish friends tease him a bit for tempering his accent in his videos, and for a few lines went "full Scottish" and it was surprising to hear the difference!

[@shmuelparzal]

@@williammullikin2076 By RP, I don't mean a 'posh' accent, I mean an accent which is regionless and classless. Lincolnian and RP were the only 2 accents I learned growing up. I'm 63 now, so what am I going to do if someone doesn't understand a Lincoln accent? I guess I could talk louder.........

[@svenpetersen1965]

And your channel is one of the most interesting channels I know. I usually don’t comment much, since I usually watch it on tv. Today, I did :-) I don’t watch every video, since I have very many subscriptions, but many.

[@iberius9937]

You have a fine speaking voice and enunciation, sir. I've been a follower of your awesome channel for a while, now, and love your content. Hello from Miami!

[@Jay32954]

Learning languages has been a really useful way for me to overcome my own communication deficits, because it gives me a baseline, and an opportunity to ask questions that might otherwise be considered inappropriate.

[@Jay32954]

For example, in Japanese culture, its considered rude to decline an invitation directly. Instead, you have to stutter and stammer for a few seconds until the invitation is revoked. As opposed to English speakers, who will often decline, by making an excuse. Learning this, blew my mind.

[@tyttarentottero]

I also assumed that you have some Slavic language influencing your accent, and I thought you were a simultaneous bilingual. The reason for that is, I think I can hear a close back unrounded vowel when you speak, in some of the places where I would expect more of a schwa from English speakers . We have that sound in Turkish, and I know Slavic languages have it too. But I didn't know you spoke Japanese on a daily basis, and well, Japanese has that sound too. So I think you might have Japanese influencing your accent a bit (even the staccato might be from that? : ) Love your videos, thank you for the great content!

[@musfikinsan3423]

His facial features are like Baltic people.But his accent sounded normal to me.I thought that he is a latvian or estonian who lives in canada for a few generations.

[@kahlilbt]

Are you sure you're not from North Narnia? But on a serious note, I'm a linguist and I think I pegged you as Canadian very quickly. You're exactly right about people with an international social sphere having very adaptive accents

[@theaugustoexperience]

Thanks to your clear pronuntiation you were the greatest help when I was studying English. You helped me to take the leap into consuming native content. Cheers Paul!

[@Langfocus]

Awesome！I’m glad to hear that. :)

[@Nicole1974_]

Hi Paul, to me as a non-native speaker with some proficiency in English and an ear for languages you definitely sound North American, more precisely Canadian. My reference is people like Jonathan Cohen from Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown and others I know are your compatriots. I couldn’t place you within the Anglophone communities in Canadian, but the sound on the words “about”, “house” and the like tell me you’re Canadian (and e.g. not Scottish even though their diphthong is similar on those vowels). You enunciate very clearly and deliberately and I usually understand every word you say - for which we non-native speakers are always grateful. :) Greetings Nicole

[@mountainhobo]

30:06 The way you said, "I don't know", suddenly you sounded fully Canadian. 😂

[@uamsnof]

All of his "o"s sound like that, I've noticed. Same in "Indonesian, video, etc."

[@louiserocks1]

Paul , the best thing which works for me, for helping go to sleep quickly, (and so that my mind doesn't keep going) I watch videos about chess, or sudoku, or maths problems or something, those are kind of boring topics to me, but also at the same time they're kind of interesting. They're the kind of videos where it's the perfect balance between boring and interesting, like I don't need to pay my full 100% attention (for example, a kurtzgesagt video where it's a lot of condensed information and if you don't pay attention for 5 seconds then you've missed a lot of important stuff and can't follow it anymore) and they're not chaotic or crazy videos, they're just calm. But they're just about interesting enough to barely hold my attention so that my mind doesn't wonder off onto some other stuff. And not too interesting where it makes me go like wooow I need to know more I need to go binge watch all their videos and stay up all night watching them. So that's what I mean by the perfect balance of boring+interesting lol. Maybe this would work for you too, cause the way you described yourself is pretty much 100% like me

[@louiserocks1]

Also to add to this, Ted talks, podcasts, gaming speedrun livestreams, etc can also fit in to the category of boring + interesting. But I guess for each person it's different. I'm from England but also no one thinks I'm English because they say I have some kind of weird accent. I spent many years in mexico, croatia, and russia and my wife is russian (and doesn't even know english) so that's probably got something to do with it lol

[@lukasm6905]

I mean, you do sound Canadian to me but you look too Danish/Dutch/ German to me 😂😂😂

[@djehuti-hermes]

Same 😂

[@maelnumber08]

He has danish in him

[@surfboarding5058]

Only Native American Canadians look Canadian 😂😂😂

[@thematthew761]

@@surfboarding5058ok?

[@ruralsquirrel5158]

As an American who's spent half his life in foreign countries, taught ESL, and speaks several languages, I think your situation is not unusual. Linguists and those hyper-focused on syntax, grammar, and pronunciation tend to do the same thing with their own native language. I've gotten the same reaction from Americans when I visit the States, like "why do you speak so strange". In my case, I almost never use English overseas and I lose contact with the latest slang, mannerisms, and changes to the language. You just kind of fall back on the "bookish" language.

[@vackrakristaller]

Paul, since this is a video more or less about you, I will say thank you for your contributions to my own learning, about English, about languages I'll never learn, about the ones I'm learning AND want to learn! I've never wondered if you're a native English speaker actually, but if I had to bet on it I'd have said Canadian. Another possibility would be - as someone said - a European 2nd-language speaker who eventually moved to a de facto English community. I think your whole conversation in this video - if you were JUST trying to put forward a very plausible explanation - could have been limited to the "I'm trying to speak clearly and in a globally general way" - that is exactly what you sound like.

[@evanjohnson6884]

This was really interesting. I like many others always thought you sounded slightly german for whatever reason (though I never felt compelled to comment about it.) another youtuber who falls into this category for me is levy from gothamchess, who doesn’t have an accent necessarily but just the slightest affectation that makes you wonder. As it turns out for him, he is a native speaker of English but his parents are Russian and spoke to him only in Russian in his early years

[@BearBettermentSchool]

Just appreciating the Levy cross reference.

[@ni-filoop4410]

OMG...what you said about how speaking in a foreign language helps to dialute the social confusion...just gave me an epiphany! Could that be why I prefer English (and other foreign languages) over my native language?! I haven't been diagnosed as neurodivergent (yet anyway) but I do posses many of the telltale signs of being on the spectrum. To obtain control over social situations through language barrier makes a lot of sense. Thank you for the insight. Really gave me something to think about.

[@chapmacpherson2626]

You got me into language too mate. Don't stress too much about what people reckon of your accent

[@user-ic4ce8xb5v]

I think it's because the Canadian accent sounds so close to the US accent but yet is not the same, so it creates an "uncanny valley" effect

[@goginto9597]

My mother tongue is Japanese and I always find difficulty to listen English, but your English is really easy to understand for me both in pronunciation and wording. Now I understood the reason of it through watching this stream. Thank you very much for sharing valuable videos every time! I like watching your contents very much!

[@sozinho1]

Fascinating video. Personality-wise, you and I could be twins. I agreed with almost everything you said about yourself. When teaching classes on a particular foreign language or linguistics in general, I always adjust my speech for the audience. It's automatic. I've frequently been mistaken for European or Australian even though my accent is clearly from New England. I also agree that speaking in a foreign language definitely changes my personality to some extent. I don't immediately become an extrovert; however, I can communicate much more easily with far fewer inhibitions -- that's assuming that I'm speaking a language I'm comfortable with, of course. Thanks for a very interesting video.

[@alcubierrevj]

I love the candor in this video!

[@true_perplexeus]

Dear Paul, huge thanks for sharing! Many things you describe when you were talking about neurodivergency are typical autistic traits: special interests, a focus on learning, difficulty understanding social situations as well as learning about small social clues intuitively, and a slightly different way to speak. Also, ASD and ADHD are often diagnosed together. That could explain why you feel distracted. I think you could benefit a lot if you got the opinion of a professional wether you fulfill the criteria for ASD. As you've said, autistic people are cool because they can think in very abstract ways and they like logic and patterns (which are abundant in languages). Much love from someone who is in a similar process!

[@rys1968]

Thanks a lot, Paul! You are doing great! Warmly, São Paulo, Brazil.

[@therealzilch]

Speaking as an Americian who has lived in Europe for forty years, you sound convincingly Canadian to me. And I can sympathize with your brain working overtime when you're trying to go to sleep. Mine too- although it's more likely to be doing polyrhythms, such as 11 against 13 lately. Lunch is on me if you're ever in town. Cheers from rainy Vienna, Scott

[@brunosipavicius7867]

I'm from São Paulo, Brazil. Thank you from your channel

[@skoubidoo]

Wow I'm surprised you've had all those comments about your accent! As a non-native English speaker I never had any doubt that your mother tongue was English, but that was interesting to comprehend why some English speaking people thought it was not. Why do people even care so much anyway? 😂 Your explanations were very interesting though, the extra care you put in articulating and speaking clearly makes total sense for the kind of videos you make... and that's why I can understand 100% of what you say. 😊 As an ex-linguistics student, I've been following you for a few years, I love your videos about analyzing the structure of languages, that's what I enjoyed the most at university. So thank you for all the work and the great content!

[@Langfocus]

Thanks! I'm not sure they care that much. They probably just leave a quick comment and don't think it's a big deal, but I see all the comments, so to me it's like a never-ending barrage. :)

[@Aikeii-hx8qt]

Hi Paul, wow! ^^ I like this Video very much, thank you for that! I just registered (first time in my life) to KZbin, only to write this comment! I was really excited when you mentioned possible neurodiversity: Twelve years ago (when my son was 3 years old, like yours now), I was diagnosed with Asperger's. Since then, I was more able to accept what I am than I was before. But someone (like you, I think) who doesn't have problems to accept himself like he is perhaps doesn't need a "sticker" like I did. And you mentioned your problems with sleeping. I also have a big problem with falling to sleep or staying in sleep since nearly 40 years. Fun fact: I daily/nightly use YOUR Videos to fall asleep, and helps a lot! Because they help me to focus on your words and the linguistic facts - instead of my thoughts! And I like your steady calm voice for that (and I'm very interested in the content). But to fall to sleep, I have to use a video where the outro is silent or with very calm music, so I don't get awaken again... Spanish/Portuguese-comparison is good for that, or the newer videos without any outro-music. A pity, that the older videos always have rhythmic music at the end. If I had a wish free: ;-) NO music at the end of your Videos, an no loud sounds inside (like in Hungarian the Mario-mushroom-videosound oO)... ;-) Oh, and please don't think that I feel that your videos are boring: I absolutely adore every lamgfocus-video, and I have seen ALL of them, multiple times - awake! :-) Many greetings from Germany from a BIG langfocus-fan! :-) And I'm part of the 80% "non-native-English"-viewers - and, obviously(!), of the "not-very-well"-English-speakers (sorry for mistakes). ;-) Stay as you are! ♡

[@nomcognom2414]

That was such a great video, Paul, thank you! It was very nice to get to know you better and also to discuss all these things. It all made a lot of sense to me. As for your hypothetical neurodivergence, it would be mild enough not to worry about it in the least, if there were one. We all result from very complex, more or less funny, and diverse, mixtures of traits and circumstances. And we all are in a spectrum, a multidimensional one. But our perception of things is often superficial, almost literally: we see things a bit as if we hit all that multidimensional complexity with our windshield. We just drive through, getting splashes. This way, a beautiful creature with six legs and a couple antennae might easily come across as a weird spot on the landscape, with any number of appendages, even none, or just a single one, depending on the angle of incidence. People won't usually take time to practice X-ray crystallography or high-resolution CT scans on your windshield profile. You, for instance, may have some degree of something in the "autism spectrum", combined with various other things that appear all lumped together, flattened on your viewer's windshield. And it may perfectly be that it is more of a lot of other, "normal" things, that contribute to that spot than any particular "disorder", which you may not even have at all. We don't really care. You are doing fine and are a really nice guy. To which, let me add, if there's anything unusual about you, worth noting, it is mostly that you seem to be way smarter than average. It is obvious to me at least, that you are quite an intelligent man. Not just nice and knowledgeable. And now for other anecdotal things that made less sense to me: 1) why would you speak with your wife's in-laws in Japanese. Because that's what you said, "her in-laws". That's odd, because she is Japanese but your family is Canadian.😉 2) why would someone get a tatoo in Japanese, trying to repeat a Bruce Lee saying, if he was from Hong Kong, a Cantonese speaker, who said that in English. 3) the moronic welcoming to a cafe did make little sense. I just wanted to share that little sense with you, as it must be a cafe in Morón, a Spanish town next to a military base used by US servicemen. 4) why would people call their clothing business "horse shit". Maybe out of some confusion between shirt and shit, or just trying a pun out of good humour (dead pun humour).

[@Langfocus]

Funnily enough, as soon I got into bed after the stream, I said to myself "Oh, sh*t, did I say 'her in-laws'?!"

[@nomcognom2414]

​@@Langfocus , I thought you must have realized it later. This video made it abundantly clear how and why you speak to us in a different way than you would, casually, with a native English speaker. I learned a new English expression, to shoot shit, which I found excellent. We can shoot ideas, proposals, complaints, praiseful or deprecatory words, trivia, etc., all of which we can summarize as shit, i.e. random stuff. Here is an idea for you to consider: why not make a video about Canadian English dialectology, focusing on informal language, prosody, and expressions or words, with a special focus on your Canadian English? You could include, as examples, full sentences spoken the way a native speaker would utter them. This way, us, non-native English speakers, would get to see the difference. Another idea (and apologies in case you've already done it, which seems likely) is a video or more about indigenous Canadian languages. Why not even a series on that topic, with the collaboration of native indigenous language speakers? Again, many thanks for your work, Paul. It is wonderful! You are one of those youtubers it is a luxury to be able to enjoy. One of those people making the world a better place. PS: I can relate with several of the things you explained or exemplify, such as being chronically underslept, a busy discovery/learning-oriented mind, an open one, and disliking chaotic group conversations, and superficial ones. I am less of an introvert, though I don't socialize much. I can easily subject anyone, occasionally, to my "stream of consciousness", but it will be a stream of pretty consistent, articulated ideas, information and reasoning, in spite of improvised. I have a pretty logical, very analytical mind. Which, together with my extroversion, doesn't prevent, unfortunately, embarrassing myself socially, sometimes. I will sometimes slip into pain-in-the-neck and/or fool-mode. What a horrible sensation then, noticing that. Unable to stop. Sinking further down as I try to manage the situation! It takes some time then, to recover, and such memories and feelings will resurface, same way as truly horrible or cherished experiences.

[@Neon8787]

I have had similar experiences teaching English and living in Japan, and when I moved back home I got "where are you from?" all the time for around a year. On the up side I regularly have non-native speakers say that I'm easy to understand, and often that they enjoy talking with me as a result. I'm sure it's the same for you. :) I can relate a lot to Orion's comment too! I miss speaking Japanese because I was much more extroverted in that language.

[@kimbari9972]

I heard you as Canadian right from my first viewing. I think you enunciate more thn the average person, and that reflects your passion fo language.

[@ZhovtoBlakytniy]

I'm a southeast US American and you have an apparent accent to me, but I can definitely tell you're Canadian. People are caught up on your speech pattern instead of accent itself. I do that same speech pattern when I'm talking to people who do not speak English natively, which I do every day for over a decade. If I didn't speak with clarity and diction, I would sound like a bale of hay! 😅

[@Mariam_7101]

Canadian or not.Your English is so clear and easy to be understood for non native speakers . Regards from Egypt !!🍀

[@Hvitserk67]

As a Norwegian, I have no problems hearing that English is your mother tongue. I can also hear that you speak specifically with a Canadian accent, but this is something I have learned, among other things, via KZbin videos. Unfortunately, I have never been to Canada and have only met a few Canadians. The fact that you speak clearly for the sake of the context is both natural and sensible. This probably also applies to other linguistic examples in your videos. Your Norwegian participants also spoke unnaturally clearly and distinctly, but they were also very easy to understand, which is the purpose of the videos. I have watched your videos for many years and thank you for the useful learning and entertainment.

[@nenben8759]

full speech analysis episode coming soon??? I couldn't place your accent, then I saw youve said and I've never questioned it since

[@emiliocespedes3685]

🇺🇾 People often ask me where I learned Spanish even when it's my native language. It's most likely because I sound acoustic and I tend to choose words that aren't that common in everyday speaking, I tend to be "too precise" with the words I use. To me, it's important because body language and prosody are not things I take into consideration without actively thinking about them 🤷 I've also been asked if I'm Welsh a couple of times when I speak English, for that I have no clue why 🤷 Love your content, I've watched your channel for years and years and I never get tired of it. Never change 🫀

[@roysigurdkarlsbakk3842]

I hear a voice shouting out ASD :) As for interacting in other languages, I cannot but agree, and yes, I'm in the spectrum. I've found it a lot easier to pick up girlfriends (or boyfriends) in another language, than my native language. So - thanks a lot for this video - it was highly interesting!

[@mkaplanmkaplan7670]

your sentences are cristal clear... and very understandable for all fluency levels

[@capncoolio]

I've only occasionally picked up a sound in your accent that made me go "hang on a second," but I was always certain you were a native speaker - just couldn't quite place it. As soon as you said it, it hit me in the face like it was the most obvious thing ever 😂

[@ooo0mrx0ooo]

Paul you are great keep up the good work. From an Arabic native speaker who started watching since that awesome Japanese video about Arabic.

[@Langfocus]

Wow, you've been around since the beginning! Thanks! :)

[@DJZarpRix]

I came to this video after watching your video attempting to speak RP. I'm a native cockney and RP speaker. I think you could benefit from substituting some cockney sounds for the RP ones you find difficult. Modern RP and cockney are spoken simultaneously by many native Londoners. Sometimes they will use two two distinct accents, sometimes the same person will blend different amounts of each, with there being no right or wrong. You may sound more authentic with touch of cockney. I'm also dsiagnosed with autism and ADHD, I definitely sensed neurodiversity before you mentioned it. It’s very common for AuDHD people to move to other countries, where their slightly odd ways of behaving or speaking would be put down to them being foreign (I recommend Yo Samdy Sam for more info).

[@barrysteven5964]

I'm pretty sure no other native speaker would have doubted you were also a native speaker. It never even crossed my mind.

[@languageoclock]

I got diagnosed with autism 5 years ago and I always assumed you were too, I’m no psychologist but but I can completely relate to everything you described about sleep and social interactions 😄 Funnily I get the same kind of comments from people even in real life who assume I’m German rather than Australian, but I do think there’s some truth in that assumption because I spent years dedicated to studying German and even I personally think my English sounds very affected by that. You on the other hand don’t sound German at all to me, I think the people who write those comments don’t actually have a very clear idea of what German accents sound like 😅

[@Jerald_Fitzjerald]

personally i thought you were non-native until you said in that early video that you are in fact a native english speaker, then i didn't question it. i did still feel you had a way of speaking that i'd never encountered but there are a lot of people and accents in the world!

[@CarinRuff]

Thank you for sharing this, Paul. I confess I had wondered, too, since when I first started watching you sounded so unlike people I knew from Ontario. But the more I listen, the more I think we're hearing more-than-usual enunciation of consonants with entirely normal (west coast) Canadian vowels hiding inside those syllables. I suspect it's the "hard attack" / less liason feature of your intentional speech that some are hearing as German-like.

[@CarinRuff]

I found this discussion by Geoff Lindsey helpful, and the section on "Presentational speech" near the end echoes your hypothesis about your own habits: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gXe9i3xtfaijaK8si=GkuI0XuwO4Nsow6M

[@dcdcdc556]

I am also not diagnosed as autistic, but am probably on the spectrum. (A lot of the things you said about yourself apply to me too!) Some people find a diagnosis helpful for understanding themselves, but that isn't super important to me. Being happy with your life and comfortable with yourself is more important than having a label.

[@ayelete4982]

I've always believed you're Canadian (but I don't really know how does a Canadian sound like...). I'm somewhat similar. People in my home country ask me where I came from! lol nice to find someone who is a bit like me, even if the reasons are different. Most think I'm American. Maybe other than, mostly, Americans. I've also heard Anglo-Saxon and Spanish as guesses. I think that most people who didn't think I'm an immigrant are those who know my family, mostly my twin, or know me from childhood. Another guess, from someone who doesn't know my family at all, was that maybe I've combined my grandparents' accents. Could be, but no one in my family has my accent. Another guess, from a friend who know me for a while, and knows what an Yiddish accent could sound like, thinks it sounds like an Yiddish accent. I was exposed to Yiddish through family members as a kid. But, again, my parents and my sister do not have this accent. I've heard of the autistic accent a while ago and I think this could be the explanation, because I'm autistic and it does make sense (and yes, autism isn't a disorder). But I've also heard a charactaristic of autistic accent is that the accent changes based on the accents in the environment - for example, bein on a trip somewhere and adapting a local accent without any intention to do so. My accent stays the same, with the exception of becoming sometimes, perhaps, more and less noticeable. I did think your accent sounded a bit like mine

[@iamdennis2267]

I must admit, it's quite funny how very relatable some of the things sound that you mention. I'm not exactly sure whether I'm in the autistic spectrum, but I've always been rather introverted and also dealt with social anxiety back in the day, and always noticed how speaking a different language than my mother tongue (German) would ease things up for a curious reason. Same goes for peers who would tease and troll me in a light-hearted manner and me taking offense a lot of times. Honestly, I still do, because I'm simply a proponent of humor being subjective and I also value politeness a lot. 😆🤷‍♂

[@LearnRunes]

I always thought your way of speaking was a little unusual but I just put that down to how some people's voices sound different to others. I'm often asked where I'm from but that's probably a result of travel and the diversity of accents within Australia.