Accent Formation in Foreign Languages Part 2 Technique

Alexander Arguelles presents a four part video lecture on the subject of accent formation and pronunciation in the study of foreign languages. For more information, please refer to http:/www.foreignlanguageexpertise.com

Category:

Education

Tags:

• accent
• reduction
• English
• language
• learning
• pronunciation
• efl
• efl/esl
• esl
• foreign
• French
• lessons
• German
• international
• phonetic
• alphabet
• acquisition
• linguistics
• lecture
• philologist
• phonetics
• polyglottery
• Spanish
• techniques
• tips

[shedsevenfan]

Prof Arguelles,

In this video I noticed that you have a copy of Michel Thomas Chinese on your shelves in the background.

Would you say that this is better than Assimil or Linguaphone?

[ProfASAr]

I would not compare them to say that one is better than the other for they all have their strong points and all three (at least) can and should figure in a comprehensive self-study program for this language.

[dleewo]

Your discussion of phonetics has piqued my interest and I wish to learn more about it. Is there a good starter book you can recommend?

I did a search for "phonetics" on Amazon and there were quite a few books in various price ranges up to $100+. I don't wish to spend that much as yet, but maybe there is a book in the sub-$30 range that I can get.

Derek

[ProfASAr]

Sorry, there is a good paperback that I would recommend, but it has disappeared from my shelves. At any rate, when branching into a new subject like this, I would really recommend that you browse in a library or a large physical bookstore rather than (or before) ordering a book sight unseen online just so that you can see exactly what you are getting.

[Green4321]

"Shadowing" - an interesting concept. I'm an adult (senior) learner of Dutch. I often sing along with YouTube Dutch hymns, especially those with Dutch lyrics available to me. I find this does help to reduce anxiety about my accent. On the downside, however, my dog does get very annoyed with me :-(

[kytelernl]

Its nothing to do with race. Its to do with culture.

[dusthillguy]

Sorry that this isn't a very useful comment, but it's hilarious how his facial expressions change at 14:50. By the way, this is a very interesting series of videos.

[MEpianist]

I agree with your point about trying to cut down the time between Hear and Repeat. Do you suggest listening to audio with a transcript. For example, I'm studying Russian and have found that the Echo of Moscow radio station has a great transcripting system... very helpful.

[dliraaa]

What you said is really true. I'm brazilian, and as a portuguese native speaker I have never had any difficulty in understanding or reading spanish despite having never studied it. When I travel to Venezuela or Colombia, most of the times I don't need to study spanish to comunicate because I can understand them quite well, even though most of them don't understando what we say...

[Olekander]

Dr Alexander, I can't help but notice that your native accent on certain words sounds as if you have learnt the word as a foreigner, or that you are so knowledgeable about phonetics that you pronounce the word as it ought to sound, and not as natives pronounce it. What's your opinion?

[stratfordny]

are you and SLP?

[Safron42]

The mechanism which controls accent is a person's brainwave state. Adults have a vastly different brainwave state than children. Children are always in a deep alpha state whereas adults are beta dominant. If you could somehow force an adult to enter a high alphawaves, plus had a lot of time, they would then learn a language mimicking the sound perfectly. So, You'd actually would have to alter state of consciousness to solve the accent problem of 2nd languages.

[AnthonySullivan]

@christopheclugston

For such a master of language this idiot sure doesn't have a grasp on spelling.

[TheLLSystem]

tlls.webs.com

[christopheclugston]

@jinushaun What is distinctive (that's a linguistics term) in English are not in other languages. I am also leaving out the entire syntax aspect that is necessary for using another language easily and without gliches.

[christopheclugston]

@jinushaun Prosody is so much more than IPA. Capacity to produce IPA does not mean taht your prosody is correct. If you're an English L 1 speaker I will guarantee that you wlil overlay your stress timed language onto other languages that don't have that. I will also bet heavy money that you will not be capable of discerning tone.