A Word on Accents
You can usually tell if someone's a nonnative speaker of a certain language by their accents. Now, an accent is nothing to be ashamed of, but sometimes you just want to blend in. We get it. That's why Shmoop is here for you.
The sound patterns of your native language have trained your mouth to move a certain way. It takes a lot of practice and awareness to completely get rid of an accent.
Native English speakers probably don't think about it all that much, but their mouths are used to:
- Complex syllables
- Long vowels
- Lateral "r" like in "road rage"
Likewise, native speakers of Spanish are used to:
- Simple syllables
- Short vowels
- Tap and roll "r" like in "caminar" and "burrito"
The crazy thing? Second language learners can't usually tell that they're not pronouncing these things the way a native speaker would. The differences are extremely subtle to them. A native speaker, however, can almost immediately recognize an accent...they're just not sure how. So much for blending in, eh?