Is it authentic?

[englishhobby]

Can you please tell me if this video can be called authentic? Is it possible to use it for academic purposes (as material for teaching students)? I feel there's something wrong with it - the accent seems a little strange to me. However, I can't say exactly why I have these doubts. Is it Australian English?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2bg-N_RzfI&feature=youtu.be&t

 

[Skrej]

I would guess he's a fluent non-native speaker of Australian English. I have trouble filtering out I hear as an Australian accent, but I would guess the speaker's first language is probably German.

Some of the vowels (specifically the 'e' and 'a') sound Germanic to me at times. There's also some minor issues with the /f/, /v/ and /w/ phonemes that are trademark influences of native German speakers of English. However, he's fluent enough that he's picked up some of the Australian accent.

Maybe one of our Australian members would have more insight.

As for it's suitability in teaching purposes, I suppose that depends on what you're wanting to use it for. It's a good example of how even fluent speakers still have native language influences, if that's what you're looking for.

Due to the content, I'm not sure what good it would be for teaching other than some kind of listening exercise, but I don't hear anything in his pronunciation itself that would preclude it for teaching purposes.

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

I would also have guessed that the speaker's native language was German. I feel that I detect the effect of him having spent some time in Australia, but I'm not sure that would be obvious to me if the Australian context hadn't been clear from the start.

 

[Raymott]

I think he betrayed his German background when he said "... education that will make you stand our from the kraut." (Can I say that?)

 

[Skrej]

It might cause some sour faces.

 

[bubbha]

Yes, I agree that he's most likely a native speaker of German, who was already proficient in English before going to Australia, but who picked up a little bit of Australian pronunciation (the way he says "great way" and "first" sound Australian-influenced).