Learning English as a Second Language

[J]

I should be working on school work, but my coffee's making me think about my novel. haha xD

I'm aware several on here are bilingual speakers, so.. :3

My male lead's name is Vladimir Stewart. [last name is temporary] He was born in Ukraine and Russian is his first language, but he is taught English by a British tutor who also taught his mother English.

So when Vladimir speaks English, do you think he'd sound British because of the English tutor or will he still sound like a Russian speaker? Or would his accent be a combination of both types of accents?

Do people have different accents when speaking other languages? Would his accent sound different when speaking Russian and English?

Thanks! :3

[G.G.]

I'd say he would keep his Russian accent. An accent is hard to lose unless you have plenty of time to practice. I've been living in the USA for almost 14 years now and still a few people ask me where I come from because they can detect a slight accent.

Now since a British taught him English, yes, he may have British intonations mixed with his Russian accent. He will also use British expressions, which sometimes differ from the American ones. Howdy vs Hey or Hello for example.
It should be the same with pronunciation and variances in some words. For example, many will say that towards is British while toward without the s is American. You'll find many differences like that, that your protagonist will be inclined to use, but overall, unless he learned English from a tender age and practiced it regularly, his Russian heritage should show.

[G.G.]

For your last question, I don't understand it. If it is his mother tongue, he should speak Russian like a native. Of course, if Ukraine has a different accent such as British and USA or French and Quebec, than for Russian people, he will have an accent, but not for Ukrainians.

[Claire]

It depends on how you want to portray your character. But for the most part people do keep something of an accent even after years unless they're particularly adept at picking up different accents. I agree with G.G, his use of language will reflect the person who taught him, so be sure to put in some authentic British 'slang'.

[Ann]

Coming from a family who tends to marry people who don't speak english I think I can answer this xP

When he speaks English he will sound British but he will most likely not use the same long words or sayings that British English people use. For instance, my friends mum is scottish, he speaks with a slight scottish accent when he speaks english but because of TV mostly being in american English its only there when he says 'aye' and stuff.

As a British native speaker, I can tell when someone has a parent thats got an accent (I've come across Irish, Scottish and Austrailian)

Also losing accent is easier when you change language. I've already lost a large amount of my 'Britishness' according to other British people. It's been switched for 'american' because its easier for people here to understand.

You said only his British tutor was 'proper british mate?' :p Then I'd guess he spoke English well with a slight accent that would get heavier when he's angry

The only time Viking uses his melody the Swedes are known for is when he's really annoyed or talking to other swedes in English.

I think Alexander Stårsgard demostrates this perfectly xP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Przwp...

[G.G.]

Oh my gosh! That accent is to die for!!! haha

[Ann]

I know :x he doesn't understand why I'msad that he doesn't have it very often :[

I often talk with that accent. Its easier for older people to understand English if you put it in that melody. And its really hard to put in english words in sentences without using the melody. I try my best not to stick out as British too much xP I don't even realise I'm doing it sometimes

Yesterday in the car I was talking about something to Viking and he goes

"If you're gonna talk in a swedish accent we might as well speak Swedish."

My face was red for an hour :p

[Alessia]

I agree with G.G and Claire. My "english", better my basic english because I'm still learning,and my accent sound italian.The second language reflects however who you are, your origin and the person who taught you.

[J]

There are cases where I have Vladimir using British terms. I appreciate all the information! :3

He lived in the Ukraine until he was 9 or 10, and started taking English lessons from the British tutor when he was 4 or 5. When he's 9 or 10, he and his mother move to New York City.

From all the feedback, here's how I think he'll be:

He speaks with a Russian accent and uses British grammar/slang/words.

Where I live, exposure to many accents is very limited. haha :3

[Ann]

If he's moved to NYC won't he speak with a new york accent? xD All my examples are late teens :p

[Ann]

If he's moved to NYC won't he speak with a new york accent? xD All my examples are late teens :p

I wouldn't imagine he'd use too much slang unless he had a really good relationship from his tutor. Afterall 'bloody hell' is still a swear to a 9 year old :]

He might say some idioms like 'bent as a nine bob note' but I would assume he would mostly talk like a new yorker if he spent his teens there.

[J]

I wondered that, too, but many New Yorkers who moved from around the world (sometimes) inhabit the same neighborhoods... so if Vladimir's around native Russian speakers and speaks 'British' English with his mother, he may maintain that accent. I guess the processes and changes vary amongst people. Plus Vladimir's an English literature fan, so perhaps he'd purposely want to retain that kind of voice? Being in my British Lit. classes a couple years ago kind of motivated this character. He likes those 'Romantic' poets. :3

[G.G.]

If he learned English at such a young age and moved to NYC still in his young age, he might not have a huge Russian accent after all. How old is he now? Maybe he caught the NYC accent which is a strong one.

I am trying to imagine a mix of Russian and NYC accents with British intonations... Poor Vladimir! :>

No but honestly... His accent might not show much. There are so many different ethnic groups in NYC, he will fit right in.

[Karen]

Just to throw in my two cents:
The sooner you learn a second, third, etc. language - the greater the possibility to speak fluent and perhaps accent free. Those who learn and have the ability to listen and detect nuances normally do not have foreign accents. It is also important to see if the native language is a rather hard (e.g. staccato-like) one. Russian is one of these languages. It is not impossible to get rid of the accent, though.
In brief, to speak without accent is part talent, part ability.
It depends on how you want Vladimir to evolve, Josh. If he strives for full integration, he might not have an accent, after all. If he misses home and does not integrate that well, he will at least have an underlying Ukrainian accent, a touch of BE and - he will perhaps be going to get a slight NY touch as well.

[AJ]

My sister was born in the Ukraine and moved to the States when she was in High School. She speaks without an accent and people have a difficult time pinpointing where she is from because she speaks without any type of accent - I like to call it a "clean" English. However, when she speaks Russian she speaks it with a Russian accent.

[AJ]

Oh and we're from Brooklyn but she never picked up the NY accent. And like Karen said it depends on the person's desire to speak it without an accent. I know many American born kids who have a Russian accent because that's how they hear they're parents speaking.

[J]

@G.G - He's maybe 20 right now or 19. It's all experimental right now. I'm thinking he moves to NYC, then something 'bad' happens and then he moves maybe back to Ukraine or somewhere? And then comes back to American when he can start going to university...

@Karen - I really want him to have an accent because it makes him stand out--especially in North Dakota where we apparently sound Canadian. xD Plus he misses his home in Ukraine a lot.

@A.J - I was wondering if his mother would keep her accent, it would rub off on the character. :3 I'm glad to know that people have some control over what accent(s) they retain.

Thank you all for the information. I appreciate it. :3
Even though many of us write fiction, we still want to be 'accurate." :3

[G.G.]

I say it's quite simple then. He misses home, of course he will keep his accent then as a reminder of who he is.

Take Bisky's example with Alexander Stårsgard (I'm still all starred eyes with that one! lol), or another one of my favorite, Alex O'Loughlin who can speak perfect American English but says that when he's tired, his Australian accent will show up so they have to take breaks when filming.

Your protagonist could show something like that. When he's nostalgic, angry, tired or whatever, his origin would show more. You can also use strange expressions. For example, English people will use 'butter fingers' while French's expression for the same thing will be (Translated) Hands full of thumbs. Or the German/English expression Frogs in the throat while French will say Cat in the throat. I'm sure Ukraine's got their own expressions that don't match Americans and would make him "stick out like a sore thumb" :P

So there can be plenty of ways to show that he is not American.

[Marat]

Since I am from Slavic group of people, i think I can also help a bit here.

As I have said in Introduction tread, I am from Serbia and I am speaking English since I was 6 (that would be for 20 years now).

I think that answer for this question could be found in education systems. A lot of ppl from US wouldn't believe me that I am from Serbia cause of my English. In both, elementary and high schools I dad teachers that weren't teaching us British accent but American + what someone said above about TV. Other thing is student oneself. It depends if he or she wants to learn any language and eliminate language barrier obstacles. Just look around you and you will see that there are a lot of ppl around you that are native English speakers and still make tons of mistakes.

[T.C.]

Marat wrote: "Just look around you and you will see that there are a lot of ppl around you that are native English speakers and still make tons of mistakes. "

That's certainly true!

I tried learning Welsh a few years ago (something I still want to achieve, but I need the time to get back to classes, and I need to have someone to practise with, which I didn't really have before). In Welsh there are things called 'mutations' - I won't bore you with the details, but the first letter of a word can sometimes change to one of several options, depending on context (which is murder for learners trying to use dictionaries!). It's all about the 'flow' of the language.

Anyway, one comment made by a tutor was that you can always tell a Welsh learner from a native speaker - the learner is the one who always gets all the mutations correct!

[Ann]

Thats hilarious!

Its so true for every language. You cant come to Scandinavia without knowing basic english as they sneak english words in to sentences constantly.

Riktig nice!

[T.C.]

Welsh borrows a few words from English, especially for 'modern' things. The spelling is altered to reflect the pronunciation (because Welsh is a phonetic language) - my favourite of these is the word 'Ambiwlans', which is the official Welsh word, and is displayed on all such vehicles in Wales.

[Ann]

That is just adorable :3

[Tammy]

I used to teach ESL. One of my students was Korean, but had lived in Germany for a long time. He learned English while in Germany and wanted to continue learning when he got to the US. He spoke Korean with a Korean accent. He spoke German with what sounded like a German accent to me, but when he spoke English, he spoke it with a German accent. I'm sure he had something odd when he spoke German, but I don't know enough about that language to know what it was.