Quote:
Originally Posted by malamute
Yes, making the correct sound only has to do with correct formation of the sound. At least for the European languages it's easy enough, it's a matter of training and getting it right the first time. You shouldn't get into bad habits by mispronouncing words in the first place -- that German model (Heidi Klum) was on some show just yesterday commenting on how her accent hasn't gotten any better. Once you get in the habit of making do with poor pronounciation, it tends to stay with you. If you picked up poor pronounciation in the classroom, it's going to be something you have to unlearn.
I think that's one of the myths about learning language -- that you can start out mispronouncing and with years of practice you'll get better.
The typical gringo way of talking Spanish is because they'll say things like "quiero" -- Kee air rho instead of learning that the "r" would involve placing your tongue almost where you place it when making the English "d" sound. I think it's classroom learning that causes this more. I think if you heard native speakers using the word before you saw it written, then you'd be less inclined to do this. You have to be aware of the "puffs" in English "p", "t" and "d" and don't make them if it's Spanish.
What I think is a dead giveaway more than anything is the use of pauses. The minute someone says "um" or "ahm" when speaking Spanish, they're not a native speaker, they might have the accent down pat but they give themselves away with their pauses. You have to learn to replace um with este.
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One nationality that seems to be very good at getting a native-like quality in foreign language learning is Norway. Although there have been a few exceptions, most Norwegians I have spoken with in English have no (or very minute) accents at all. You'd swear they were from somewhere in the Midwest. Same goes for Norwegians I've spoken with as they learn Spanish. It must be something about the way their educational system handles languages. And although English and Norwegian are very much related, they are very different sounding languages, even when the words themselves are close in spelling and grammar to English.
Yes, in Spanish, some of the little tendencies of the native English speaker really give it away. Spanish has it's own little "um" sound, but it's very different from our "um" and tends to be only a very slight pause or almost as if it's part of the words they are speaking. In English it's a distinct, unmistakable moment of deer-in-the-headlight time. I sometimes hear the Spanish version of "um" used by a native Spanish speaker in English. It's so quick, it's hard to hear--almost like a little A sound on the end of a word connecting to the next.
Another thing that does not translate at all to Spanish is the "glottal stop" that is quite popular in the US northwest and used in their English quite extensively--you know, "I'm from Sea--ah(almost a cough)--le." That sound used in Spanish is a dead giveaway that, not only is the speaker from the US, but from the Pacific Northwest. That's another version of the "puffs" you speak of. Just a bigger puff.
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