The accents of various Asian countries when speaking English (best, people, influence)
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Which Asian nationalities do you think speak English the most clearly/easy to understand in general? Which Asian English accents sound the best to you, which the worst?
I would say despite it's criticism the Singaporean accent is quite easy to understand compared to others, maybe because Singapore is more English speaking. I mean if they speak standard English not Singlish with a lot of slang. I also find it's sing-songiness and down to earth content pretty amusing in an endearing way. But I guess I'm also biased since I hear it a lot. My friend from Vietnam found it cute/hilarious, like when they said 'lah' and stuff, but really likes it... I would say Iranians also speak pretty good English in general and the more educated Indians.
Vietnamese and Thai people, and some Chinese (including Cantonese/HK accent which is different from mainland Chinese), often have really strong accents which can be hard to understand, and they just sound really foreign. Indonesians and Filipinos sound super rhotic (really emphasise the 'r') I'm not a fan of their accent, with Filipinos in particular it's also a bit American.
Japanese aren't too bad, it doesn't sound too bad and you can usually understand most of what they're saying. Indians vary a bit.
Last edited by The Postman; 04-01-2014 at 01:29 AM..
Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh has a surprisingly good grasp of the English language. What percentage of people in Hong Kong speak English as well as she does ?
Which Asian nationalities do you think speak English the most clearly/easy to understand in general? Which Asian English accents sound the best to you, which the worst?
I would say despite it's criticism the Singaporean accent is quite easy to understand compared to others, maybe because Singapore is more English speaking. I mean if they speak standard English not Singlish with a lot of slang. I also find it's sing-songiness and down to earth content pretty amusing in an endearing way. But I guess I'm also biased since I hear it a lot. My friend from Vietnam found it cute/hilarious, like when they said 'lah' and stuff, but really likes it... I would say Iranians also speak pretty good English in general and the more educated Indians.
Vietnamese and Thai people, and some Chinese, often have really strong accents which can be hard to understand, and they just sound really foreign. Indonesians and Filipinos sound super rhotic (really emphasise the 'r') I'm not a fan of their accent, with Filipinos in particular it's also a bit American.
Japanese aren't too bad, it doesn't sound too bad and you can usually understand most of what they're saying. Indians vary a bit.
What's wrong with an American or rhotic accent? Or does it only sound best to you if it's closer to British English?
Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh has a surprisingly good grasp of the English language. What percentage of people in Hong Kong speak English as well as she does ?
Michelle Yeoh is from Malaysia. Malaysians speak English much more widely and better than Hong Kongers.
Filipinos don't normally pronounce their R's like Americans, it's just American influence. Usually the R's are pronounce like Spanish, a flick or tap of the tongue. But I noticed that more and more Filipinos are using the American R, even when speaking Filipino. It will probably take over
Hong Kong actress Michelle Yeoh has a surprisingly good grasp of the English language. What percentage of people in Hong Kong speak English as well as she does ?
Michelle Yeoh is Malaysian, but she studied in the UK for quite some time. Her English is very good, while surprisingly for a Malaysian Chinese, her Mandarin is pretty bad. The only people who can speak the same English as Michelle Yeoh should've studied overseas as well, which are very few in terms of % and rare in HK.
Michelle Yeoh is Malaysian, but she studied in the UK for quite some time. Her English is very good, while surprisingly for a Malaysian Chinese, her Mandarin is pretty bad. The only people who can speak the same English as Michelle Yeoh should've studied overseas as well, which are very few in terms of % and rare in HK.
A lot of older Malaysian Chinese can speak little or no Mandarin, even a lot of the young ones.
Well nothing per se but with Filipinos it just sounds so extreme and a bit annoying.
As Smtchll explained, that's probably because some pronounce it using the Spanish rolling R. However, that is on the decline among the younger generation who now increasingly pronounce r's the American way. In fact, there are young Filipinos who now aspirate their p's, t's and k's even when speaking Philippine languages that they sound like they're foreigners speaking Filipino.
As Smtchll explained, that's probably because some pronounce it using the Spanish rolling R. However, that is on the decline among the younger generation who now increasingly pronounce r's the American way. In fact, there are young Filipinos who now aspirate their p's, t's and k's even when speaking Philippine languages that they sound like they're foreigners speaking Filipino.
I hear some Filipinos speak English among themselves, is this true? That would make it along with Singapore and Malaysia the only two countries in Asia where this is really happening.
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