Today, Bambi came across an excellent video by the Economist, which is basically about the following, as described on YouTube: “Ever wondered why it’s so hard to sound like a local when you go on holiday? Discover the pronunciation tips your teachers may have missed“.
Accents are very interesting for the excellent cross-cultural linguistic reasons explained above. Of course, we all have our unique way of speaking, often also influenced by the languages we have been exposed to since childhood. Bearing the latter in mind, how do you sound when you speak, even your own mother tongue? Do you speak fast or slowly, usually or under stress only? Do you “swallow your words” or do you take the time to pronounce them? And how do people react to your accent? Last but not least, are you amused by talented comedians, or friends, who know to imitate accents well?
In conclusion, following the the Economist very informative video on accents in foreign languages, please find the following: (1) a Team Coco brief interview in which Mr. El Maleh performs a song in nonsense or “gibberish-English” since “before Gad could speak English, he performed songs at a French piano bar in total gibberish-English“; and (2) a sweet French song entitled “Mon accent” [or My Accent] by Sangria Gratuite in which we are reminded that “accents are the spices of a language“.
