Don't worry... I have been here since grade 8 and I can't even speak English...
We spoke chinese in school...
now still speak chinese at work...
Go out... gosh... I go to Richmond usually, so you get my point...
Even when I went to work in Russia, the boat came from southern part of China... haha...
原帖由 fm9610 於 2007-12-30 00:48 發表
Actually I think the guy in the video was speaking Singaporean/Malaysian English. This is what I usually heard from my colleagues who originally came from there.
I think Hongkong English is actually ...
Yes, that is a typical Singlish accent... it does get annoying sometimes but I can put it on when needed.
Accents can be a trained thing but it's one that takes years before you actually start fixed on one without even trying. Now I've been in Australia for 20+ years and whilst I speak English with an Aussie accent (no, not talking Paul Hogan or Steve Irwin type), I do tend to pick up on some accents with people I hang around with. I started out with Malay coz some of my high school friends were Malay... so you speak like this la.. you know what I mean la!... then now it's the British one at work which I love anyway.. so some words come out like Jamie Oliver... just not as animated as he is... and the girl that speaks on the MTR trains... ohh... sorry.. she tell me to stand back from the doors all night long.
But seriously, I think you've got to speak rather than listen/watch TV. Hang around the people you want accents to be. Talk and talk and talk. Practice can only mean one thing.. perfection.. well, close to it. For vocab, grammar and context of phrases and when it's appropriate to use them, try TV but if you want to get even better, do just the radio. Talk-back radio (not sure if you call it that up there.. but stations where people call in and talk about issues) will really get your ears tuned into listening and understanding each word or everyday chatting. Just remember though, these sorts of mediums will be in the colloquial setting most likely so of course some phrases you just don't use in different situations. The same way you don't use too slang and informal words in formal settings in Cantonese.
the chinese radio stations should have programs about how to improve spoken english , and lessen the accent.
my own experience is i cannot overcome the difference between cantonese and english
the english language has a rhythm that is fast and slow
it has dynamic volume that is stressed loud and soft
its not using these english rhythm and stress that makes it hard for the native
speaker to understand
the use of tone or frequency shift is also very different in to the languages
i think the best way to improve spoken enlish is personal coaching , but
that is a neglected area of esl teaching
One of my friends came here (from HK) when he was still in early secondary school, now he's 3x and he has been working in Caucasian companies only. He still has some non-native accent la. I think besides studying, learning and from daily experience, also depends on your personality and how talented you are. Hehe....
I just came to acceptance of my accent. My English is pretty broken to start of with, LOL! And I speak three different languages through the day, so that only makes it harder for me to get rid of my accents. However, according to my co-workers who are all native English speakers, they can understand my English jsut fine, so I am not going to fight it. And yes, be proud of your Chinese root and let the accent flow!
"In the underground of crime, everybody has a secret."
發表於 2007-12-30 10:31
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