 Re: How to learn an accent?
I had the opposite problem when I first came to Germany. I couldn't speak much German, but the little German I could speak I managed to speak in a near-perfect German accent. As a result, if I asked somebody -- in perfect German -- how to get the post office, they automatically thought I could speak like a native, and therefore understand like a native. So I got a lengthy description delivered in a very fast, indistinct mutter, usually in some weird dialect, and I still wouldn't be able to find the post office.
Not having heard your accent, it's hard to comment. It's interesting that you say you've "got rid of your Chinese accent" -- if you don't have a Chinese accent, what accent do you have?
Also, when is this happening? Does it happen with friends or strangers, or both? If you stop a stranger in the street to ask the way, do you do the "Excuse me, can you help me?" routine, or do you just ask your question right away? Where in the UK do you live? What about the people you live with? Have you moved to a different area since learning English?  |