tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1383699086290907398.post5138540589645696904..comments2022-10-22T15:30:24.959+08:00Comments on Life of a Japanese Polyglot in Singapore: Bought American Accent TextbookUncle Polyglothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10102865477554802603noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1383699086290907398.post-7772607444702993742010-06-15T21:09:10.982+08:002010-06-15T21:09:10.982+08:00Hi Uncle Polyglot san,
Yes, Id love to see how y...Hi Uncle Polyglot san, <br /><br />Yes, Id love to see how you will have improved the accent by the time you complete your book. <br /><br />When I took a phonetics course at a university, my professor told me that the hardest part for us japanese in making an accent better is vowels. after this course, I managed to make consonants ( of English) out, and yet I still have trouble pronouncing some English vowels. <br />What about you? which part exactly do you find the most difficult to master in an accent reduction? <br />( I do think that your English has already reached the highest level in every aspect for foreigners. that is indeed a great achievement not everyone can make, probably after decades of hardwork and passions for languages.) <br /><br />although it is off the topic ( sumimasen), Ive recently reread a book titled Reverse method English learning ( eigo ha gyakukara manabe) by Hideto Tomabechi. <br />Tomabechi san insisted in this book that <br />(1) grammer as we study at school in japan is meaningless<br />(2) we should discard dictionaries right away<br />(3) never translate a language ( say, english into Japanese) <br /><br />I mostly agree with him on the first point. <br />I, however, disagree on the second, third point. <br />while I do think it is not very wise to soly rely on dictionaries, they have been extremely helpful in my limited experieces. <br />also, I think that translation is not necesarily a bad thing. I now see it as one of the good ways to understand a langauge. <br /><br />What do you think about Tomabechi san`s suggestions? <br /><br />sorry again for a lenthy post. <br /><br />wish you all the best;)<br /><br />CozyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1383699086290907398.post-18550295648777067642010-06-13T22:30:32.288+08:002010-06-13T22:30:32.288+08:00Hi cozy,
Thanks again for your comment. Sorry fo...Hi cozy,<br /><br />Thanks again for your comment. Sorry for not replying sooner.<br /><br />Regarding your question, I haven't been consciously avoiding Singlish, as it's something unavoidable here in Singapore. <br /><br />I've chosen to learn an American accent simply out of personal preference, as I think it sounds pleasing to the ear. In this regard, I like a Canadian accent too. Come to think of it, I also love the sound of French, Italian, Mandarin and Cantonese.<br /><br />Up until today, I still haven't managed to completely get rid of my Japanese accent. Obviously, it will take years and years to practice to pick up a correct accent. However, I'm willing to undergo this practice because, instead of finding the process boring and painful, I find it immensely enjoyable and pleasurable! <br /><br />By the way, I am planning to shoot another video on YouTube in English very soon. This time around, I'll be speaking a bit longer than I did in my previous English video, so you might be able to tell whether there's been some improvement in my accent. Do keep a lookout!<br /><br />Cheers,<br />UnclePolyglotUncle Polyglothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10102865477554802603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1383699086290907398.post-29129375018260017632010-06-08T21:09:40.271+08:002010-06-08T21:09:40.271+08:00Hi Uncle Polyglot,
From some of the posts you ha...Hi Uncle Polyglot, <br /><br />From some of the posts you have written on your blog, it seems that you are unlike a lot of the internet polyglots who appear to be extremely indoxicated with themselves ( or languages they claim to speak) <br />You are one of the most modest persons Ive ever seen. <br />So, Im sure that whatever your proficiency of languages is, you will never get complacent and continue to improve. <br /><br />Listening to your English, I just wondered why you do not speak "Singlish" ( english spoken by some Singapolians like adding la at the end of a sentence) <br />Have you deliberately protected yourself so your excellent English is not polluted? <br /><br />Speaking of accent, I do think that its got a lot to do with issues of identity, that is, who/what we identify ourselves with. In other words, the stronger ones identiy is, the harder it becomes to acquire a better accent. Im sad to say, but because I identify myself with the Japanse too much, there seems to be something stuck in making english accent better. on the other hand, For instance, Ive seen quite a few of my friends who truly love American/British culture, people. after they spend a year or longer, most of them usually come home picking up a pretty good accent.<br />Or it may partly explain why children pick up a good accent, since they have nothing to identify with ( supposing that they have not yet been badly brainwashed) <br /><br />wish you all the best;) <br /><br />cozyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1383699086290907398.post-15492395118677823322009-09-01T06:03:23.808+08:002009-09-01T06:03:23.808+08:00Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your comment!
I will ...Hi Jennifer,<br /><br />Thank you for your comment!<br /><br />I will check out your website and will contact you if I need your professional help.<br /><br />Cheers,<br />Uncle PolyglotUncle Polyglothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10102865477554802603noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1383699086290907398.post-57373794611626017882009-09-01T00:56:47.960+08:002009-09-01T00:56:47.960+08:00Hi,
Your blog is very interesting. Kudos to you...Hi, <br /><br />Your blog is very interesting. Kudos to you for investing in yourself. Just a quick question: How do you know if you are doing it correctly? Try this online voice recognition software program where your speech is monitored by a Speech Professional. You get immediate feedback as to whether you have produced the sound correctly. Check it out: www.L2accent.com. Email me and I will email you the password.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00488462344905820710noreply@blogger.com