Areas to work to become a native speaker: 09:45 Eliminate your accent 11:22 Colloquial Speech 12:47 Adopting cultural traits 14:55 Immersion 15:43 Learn the lyrics of songs 16:05 Right mindset: Sound like a native Express yourself like a native Act like a native 16:27 Main thing - work on your pronunciation!
Recording yourself while speaking it's also a way to check how you actually sound like and improve your pronunciation. Most of the time we think we sound pretty good... Until we hear our own voice 😁
Go Annelise! I suggest you watch American movies too with your possibly favorite actors or about a place or adventure you can relate with. I'm not a native speaker but I'm also watching Ted to work my way to advanced level of fluency in English. 😊
I learned English by immersing myself into books. I read a lot, and that's has improved my vocabulary and grammar immensely. As for pronunciation, I watch a lot of podcasts and listen to the audiobooks. I've invested time in learning this language, and I think it's the reason why it has improved enormously. At first, it was inconceivable that I could do this without attending classes but I did it. ❤
@@kashmalakhizar916 Don't know how much he does, but do it as often as you can. Watching some films, playing videogames, whatever you do should be in English. And results will come immediately.
Linguist here. Native fluency and master level are different concepts. For European languages, there is a scale from A1 to A2, B1, B2, C1 and finally C2. They represent different levels of speaking areas and skills, being A1 the basic fluency and C2 the academic one. A native speaker tends to be around B2 or C1, whilst the educated person (who has a bachelor degree, for instance) will probably speak a more sophisticated level of that language, which would be C2. Pronunciation is also different from accent. They are both connected, but having an accent doesn't make you worse speaker than a native person, on the contrary, it just shows one speaks other languages. The main point is if having an accent makes the other person confused or lead to misunderstandings, then you must correct it. I agree with the other points he said. Exposure to the language is very important: read, write, listen and speak as most as you can. That's the only way to be really fluent.
Hi Daniel - yeah the whole 'native speaker' vs 'mastery' thing gets confused a lot. I certainly know a lot of my fellow native English speakers who have absolutely not mastered English and would struggle in undergraduate programs or even final year of high school. I am not sure I know very MANY native speakers who are only B2... that's pretty low. C1 definitely, but B2, it'd be maybe 3 in 100 who didn't go further than that in their native language.
@@stefanhansen5882 - It depends how it's measured. For spoken fluency, yes, native speakers would almost always be super high. But I know plenty of native speakers who struggle to read prose that is written for adults, e.g. a novel. In other words, their reading is at B2. I know a FEW (not many) who would score B2 on the OOPT, and I think I know quite a few who would only score C1. I think it depends what language we're talking about though. English has an extremely wide range because there are so many speakers at different ends of the socio-economic spectrum. Norway on the other hand, wouldn't be home to many people who would fail a Norwegian test, because the education level is so high.
Well, I think what he tried to say has nothing to do with "having an accent makes you a worse speaker than a native person" What he said was that native speakers tend to (unconsciously) look differently at you if you don't have an accent. And yes, once again we all know that accents can be found in many different ways. Obviously what he tried to say is that in order to "be accepted" by native speakers (once again unconsciously) one shouldn't have an accent that tells that they don't belong to a certain country. For example, I'm from Brazil and we have MANY accents in here. It's a continental country. Even in my state, which is one of the smallest ones we have different kinds of accent. But I'd talk more freely and without thinking which words to use to a guy from the north of the country (I'm from the southern part of the country) knowing he's from the north cause of his accent than with a guy trying to speak Portuguese with a Japanese accent. We do have lots of communities here in Brazil. Italians and Japanese being the biggest ones. Thus, we come across many people who speak Portuguese with an accent that's not Brazilian. Specially in greater cities. I have a friend, she's Argentinian and when we go out together we tend to use easier vocabulary and we often don't overuse slang and idioms because she often feels confused or doesn't understand at all. What he said was very accurate and has nothing to do with being a better or worse speaker.
I couldn’t agree more. Legit advice here guys. Achieving C2 is far underestimated and no one really understands this, but in reality even native speakers have a hard time to get there through education and shaping a sophisticated personality for themselves, which in turn provides them with vast and complex expressions and vocabulary by the very nature of exposure to quality and diverse content. So the bottom line is don’t second-guess your hard work and try to stay on the progress.
English is my fifth language which i am learning. And I can tell you the best way to improve your comprehension of any language is listening videos more and more and then try to imitate the sounds.
I sometimes wonder,what you feel like when you can speak 5 language.. Does it confusing.. Im interested to learn arabic you know.. But just by hearing,i dont think i can learn that..
I have been learning English for a year or more and it has really been difficult for me to understand when someone speaks native English. So I'm trying to improve my english by listening to videos in ted´s channel, and It is really helping me to understand more. I´m happy ☺❤
Our accent is a part of our personality! I remember one of the British ladies told me, 'Larisa, do whatever you want to do with your English, but please do not change your accent. it is so beautiful.'
To summarize, first is to work on your pronunciation (eliminate your accent with a native speaker); second is Colloquial Speech (you have to learn expressions and idioms used by native speakers); third is Cultural Traits (internalize cultural traits of people of a particular language). That's all))) hope it will help you to save your precious time...
I am sure my fluency in English is improving a lot, I usually listen to Ted videos and also I practice my speaking by simulating English tests situations. I am going to try recording myself while I answer the task questions. And finally, after watching this video, I can conclude that we are the only ones that put or erase the limits to ourselves in learning a new language.
It might be weird but I learned English just watching series (with subs) and repeating what actors saying. I was sitting in my room watching and copying phases like I was in front of a camera acting myself. I didn't plan anything. I was just imagining I am fluent already 😂 Years passed and now I live in the UK and doing my BA course because at certain moment my school grades for English became better (from 0, I couldn't say even "my name is XXX") and I saw so many new prospects I'm not saying my English is perfect now. I just can't believe that my whole life changed so much just because I've got a habit repeating words from tv shows
I agree! I’m a language teacher and most people underestimate the importance of pronunciation! In fact, I think as a beginner or at an intermediate level you can have a limited vocabulary and only basic grammar skills but you’ll communicate in a more natural way with natives if your pronunciation is as authentic as possible. So keep working on that!
Спасибо 🙏🏻 I am a Russian woman living in the USA. It was very incredible to hear at the end of the lecture that you are married to a Russian woman and your children speak Russian. 😁🥰
Being a native Portuguese speaker and having learned both English and Spanish fluently, I totally agree when he says you kinda show a different "personality" when speaking in another language. I definitely feel like that when speaking in Spanish, for example. It's like a candid impersonation of somebody else.
The "ouch" example was great, that stuff is too difficult to control! :D You can be as fluent as possible, but if someone knocks a tray out of your hand, you'll swear in your mother tongue. Let me chip in with: NUMBERS. No matter the level of language proficiency, when you read a text and there are numbers in it, they'll come to your mind in your native language first... I think when you overcome that, that's when you've officially become like a native speaker, lol Written by my smartass English identity
lowgrasswhite I know many foreigners here (in New Caledonia) who don’t even speak very well French but swear in French when they’re surprised. I think it really depends what language you use the most in your daily life, no matter what your level is.
I agree! I'm a language teacher and most people underestimate the importance of pronunciation! In fact, I think as a beginner or at an intermediate level you can have a limited vocabulary and only basic grammar skills but you'll communicate in a more natural way with natives if your pronunciation is as authentic as possible. So keep working on that! repeating is fundamental to mastering any kind of skill, such as speaking a foreign language fluently. It creates a bridge between the meaning and the sound. Listening to native speakers and repeating multiple times and in different ways will develop your ability to self-correct. We instinctively try to reproduce and imitate what we perceive as good. Marc Green is so right!
What a well said and organized speech. As a non American citizen who has learned English to the level of a native speaker, I can totally relate and agree with all of what that was said here. Thanks so much!!!
I can confirm the accent thing. I worked on my mandarin accent a lot and when I speak to Chinese people, especially in my own country, they are really happy and friendly towards me, even giving me discounts when it’s a shop owner
Areas to work to become a native speaker: 09:45 Pronunciation - perfect sentence technique - practice 11:22 Phrases and expressions - accumulate - practice 12:47 local traits - actively observe - mimic practice 14:55 Immersion - practice All about practice
English is my first language to learn that's why i always listen ted to improve my english thank you wow i wondered how people learn languages well like this
I'm impressed by the fact "English is not the art you master, but the tool you communicate." Yeah it's absolutely right... I want to struggle to improve my English skills.
I think that his methods for improving our English skills are really good. I especially liked the way with native speaker and pronunciation imrovement. Also, I agree with him that watching TV films and listening to music are also very good pathes to learn foreign languages. Of all the language learning methods presented in the video, I personally use these two. Finally, I would to add that l I'm very impressed with the way he ended his speech. That was incredible!
0:00-3:40 The speaker's experience when visiting Soviet Union and how it affec him 3:41-4:26 Interacting with the audience 4:28-6:04 The metaphor with opening deck of cards and the chart with different levels of English 6:05-8:11 How his bilingual background influence him 8:12-9:35 Back to the chart with different levels of English 9:36-14:57 Three areas to focus on when learning a language: 9:36-11:20 (1) Eliminating/minimizing your accent 11:21-12:46 (2) Using verbs and expressions local used 12:47-14:38 (3) Adopting cultural traits 14:58-16:22 Tips for those who do not have many native speakers around them 16:23-16:49 The most important thing of his talk: pronounciation 16:50-17:37 How he overcame his fear of the Russian language and saying goodbye in a foreign language
His way of communication is adorable...every sentense is clear to all ......this is the important thing of a speakers wht they r gng to tell it should clear or understandable to audience .....
I’m really impressed by his speech! When he started talking about the fear from a language i remembered myself a couple of years ago. Now i can be proud of myself, cuz i have been learning English for a quite long time and reached the level when i can fully understand what I’m reading and listening (also understand English videos without subtitles😂) And absolutely agree that music helps to improve pronunciation, to minimize the accent and also to cheer up) not a single day goes by without listening it))
I know speak like native speaker is very hard.But I’m never give up,I always try my best to improve my English skills everyday.I want to thank you for this video.This directed motivate to me for continued learning English. ❤️ 👏 ❤️
I think that the native accent is certainly useful when you are trying not to get screwed by a taxi driver or bargaining a price, but otherwise I'd say to learn the native accent should be an option, not a must. You can have it as a goal and even do it from the very beginning when learning a language, but don't make that a requirement to be able to call yourself fluent in a language. Also I heard his accent right away. Because I have the same accent I could tell that he was a German speaker who speaks very good American English. In all he said he seemed to come more from a very German perspective. Although I didn't see how he was American influenced what he said about having different identities when speaking different languages is very true.
I agree, I heard his accent right away too. I have a southern American accent and I sound very different than loads of other Americans. I disagree with him on the accent part. I think it’s just more about a command of grammar.
Living in a foreign country really push your thinking when it comes to learning another language, but it is not enough to reach the native skills level, you also have to immerse yourself in their culture and be humble enough to accept criticism in order for you to grow.
Hello, I'm From brazil and I'm studying english language. So, I'm here to ask If someone would become my friend to practice english and get contact, I would love it. My Intragram user : J4nds. :)
Repeating is fundamental to mastering any kind of skill, such as speaking a foreign language fluently. It creates a bridge between the meaning and the sound. Listening to native speakers and repeating multiple times and in different ways will develop your ability to self-correct. We instinctively try to reproduce and imitate what we perceive as good. Marc Green is so right ! ✔👌
This man gives me a lot of motivation and a very incentive to work hard again and again and improve my English and my French so let's do it it doesn't matter where u live or who are u jus remember to try ur best to make ur dream cames true and become fluent in many language not just English by the way I from morroco and I wish u all a good luck guys , let's do it
I'm a 9 year old Vietnamese and speak fluent English. I learn at an English center called ILA and I'm in the highest class. So, I think I've flipped 60% of the cards.
Loved this video, played it to my High school students in China today. I have a Chinese wife and my 2 young kids are multilingual! Very good tips indeed!
Having heard the word "cringe" I asked myself if I continue to watch the video or not ... having heard the very last words I feel thankful to myself for being patient! Thank you for the advices. And I must say I completely agree with you that the best way to deal with our fears goes through love.:) Cпасибо!
Got the same feeling at the beginning. The funny thing people say sych bad things about Russia which generally arent true but then end up wanting to marry a russian girl... So, if everything is so bad with the Russians, then why would they want to marry the russian one?
I learned Italian and English at the same time and I totally agree with you. Children do not need to be totally immersed in English to learn it> I knew who to speak to in English and who to speak to in Italian and have never had to stop and think about it. Being bilingual is not a hindrance at all.
I think TEDx is going to be my English study partner as I'm polyglot i know My mothertounge Awadhi, My native language Nepali, Similarly i also know Bengali as i completed my graduation in Bangladesh, Im also fluent in hindi as i watched hindi movies and series simultaneously, besides this i also practice Maithali and Khaam language which is consider as mothertongue of different indigenous among 123 languages of Nepal. Lets Hope i will speak fluently either by using low vocabulary or with little bit english knowledge♥️♥️😍
It is so impressive! I totally agree with the importance of working on pronuncation. A few years ago, I had an awakward Japanese-english speaking accent cuz I speak fluent Japanese. I tried more than 2 years to posh my accent, and I feel so good now. Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea.
this makes me feel a lot better about my french! ive always sort of thought about my goal for learning french not necessarily to be perfect, but to be seamless into the culture! really loved this talk!
At first when i started learning English, i could not understand what they tell in ted talk. Then after a long time, i completely understand what they are talking about
Our accent is part of our culture, even native speaker have their accents, for example, a british won't sound like an australian or an american, We just have to pronounce well, no changes our accent
Yeah. I totally agree with the part describing the areas to focus on when we're learning native speakers. Especially, for pronunciation, I often record my voice speaking some conversation book for another language. And, I can compare my voice with another voice on the book's material. And, for expressing that local usually use, I listen or practice the language's drama. Yeah, I think the thing is persistence. If we want to learn another language, I think we should be patient till we can get the ability. Anyways, that was a very good speech. Thanks.
Last time, I listened to Ted's lecture about the reason for learning a language. I think it's very good to learn a language, but I can't learn it as fast. Also, I think there is a level of language. I was able to solve my curiosity by looking at this lecture and seeing how long it takes for me to learn the language that I was curious about so that I could do well like a local person, basic steps, and living language level. I'm interested in languages, so I want to be good at many things, but I've also solved my concerns about how to start. As I said in this lecture, I think the more exposed a language is, the faster it can be learned. And you can catch the words, humor, etc. used by locals use. My goal is to stay in a foreign country for about a year and learn a language before graduating later. I'm writing comments right now, but I don't have a language that I can say I'm good at, but I hope I can master one language by the time I graduate. When I saw the video about language before, I thought language was important, but I felt it again in this lecture.
oh man! I'm not a big fan of saying "Speak English like a Native" I preferred "Speak English like a new version of yourself" . This changed my entire life!
I really loved it, especially when you insisted on the pronunciation because I consider it like a soul of languages by the way I speak Arabic, I learned French language, and I'm learning English since 2020, I've reached the upper intermediate level. think you for sharing your experience with us
I wish I can be fluent in English this year ASAP. I found it might be a great help not only to broad your mind but also to gain working opportunity with the help of mastering another language. Thanks the encouragement of this video. I love you guys who commented here so much, because I can feel I am not alone. I will get back here to check, good luck!
Wow! He said everything I was thinking about in understanding others, and the work they have to go through in understanding us arrogant Americans, but our laziness to accept their hard work and mental exercise to master our way of talking too.
Interesting because my father always taught me "You speak the language you're learning with the accent their native speakers speak English with". It deals with rhythm and sounds and it's been very helpful for me anyway. Also that idea of someone's accent or lack-of affecting how they are treated is way, way more significant than we realise I think.
Jajajaja okay, deseo hablar todos esos idiomas! Me sorprendió el final!!! Ya tengo el italiano, inglés intermedio, el siguiente es el coreano! Vamos que podemos políglotas!😊✌️
Three areas to focus on learning and interacting with a native speaker 1. Eliminating your accent. 2. Using verbs and expressions that locals use. 3. Adapting cultural traits.
I do agree about the music. As an Indonesian I really love listening to the music from the radio, TV, movie since I was young. Then when I was about 13 y.o I started writing the lyrics of the songs I like, tried to sing it. From there, I could learn a lot of pronunciation. Correcting grammar in my writings are also interesting. I wish I could travel around the world more (29 now and only have traveled to Malaysia which was not that much different from my language). Already extended my passport yet still clean. Well, at least I can still "travel" by maximizing the use of technology that I know. Learning new languages is always fun for me (even though it might be boring at some point lol 😂)
Crypto currency and Nfts will outsmart the banking system in the nearest future serving as a global fiat. Already making over 75per profit from my current investment
I speak five languages and I have 3 nationalities and I can tell you bugger off , you don’t need a native accent to be honest i even prefer as the natives as well My accent is something that differed me from others ,, the importance when speaking is been fluent and understanding fluently.
Speaking and listening is very basic skills, we have to understand others and make ourselves understood. It is good if we can speak fluently. It is fantanstic if we can speak like a native speaker.
That's incredible!!! Thanks for the way you're conveying the information!!! So pleasant to hear this all, my heart is full of many thanks to you!!! The video is useful, thank you very much!!!
I have no problems with having an accent or anyone else's accent. What I have problems with is dealing with how people treat me because I am different. And that creates a lack of confidence, especially during job interviews. Good luck everyone. You can do it.
That's how I feel when I speak French. The people who look down on you probably only speak one language and don't understand the effort it takes to learn a new language. I wouldn't worry too much about what they think.
Nice video, I just want to mention that The Saint-Petersburg's metro (station Admiralteiskaya) is deeper than the deepest station in Moscow, but the deepest one in the world is Arsenal'naya station in Kiyev (Ukraine).
The language is not barrier between us. I guees it's our goverments which show to us what we need to hate each other. It is my opinion UPD: At least I meant about russian goverment xD
I can't agree more on the accent subject. Unfortunately, there are so many teachers that encourage students to just learn grammar and vocabulary and actively tell them not to worry about their accent and that the only thing that matters is "they will understand you". I strongly disagree with them. Once you reach a certain level of a language, it'd be very hard and something discouraging to go back and fix your pronunciation. It can just turn you off However, I should say I disagree with the romance part, because so many learners actually take advantage and use natives for the sake of learning which results in messy breakups. You should have a heart. If you love someone, go for it. If not, don't you dare play them
If someone says, I want to speak English like a native", what they probably wish to express is that they just desire to acquire high level of fluency. You should not try to eliminate your accent. Your accent tells people where you are from.
The idea of listening to music is incredible. when I've started learning English the only thing that I was doing was listening to music the whole day and translating it into my language I recommend this to you guys it was and still constructive a lot and now when I reached the advanced level I am trying to use that kind of apps which I can talk to people randomly and practise english as much as i can :) GOOD LUCK YOU'LL
I felt stressed whenever I started to listen to any English video. Now, i'm better and more confident. But this is not enough to become fluent in English. I must try harder! Keep going💪
So, English is my 2nd language, I live in the US, I speak like a native and in some ways it is a little terrifying. There is comfort when you have an accent because people are very kind, patient and understanding towards any ignorance you might have culturally while if you sound native your ignorance might be taken offensively. I am proud of all the work I put in to sound "flawless" because I disliked how I sounded but my advice is don't feel stress and pressure about it. I liked singing as my best tool for pronounciation and training the right muscles in the throat, tongue and face. For my third language I am letting the pace happen naturally rather than forced because I do want my pronounciation to reflect my skill level culturally to have that "security" feel.
That's very interesting! I have heard this from a few other people too - many say that trying to speak like a native is "overrated" because natives are less likely to forgive social mistakes if they feel like you are one of them.
@@plateofpasta12 Yes and nothing wrong with that if you match that level but if you learned it a bit too fast it can be very stressful. It is a cool feeling to be forgotten that you are speaking a second language but I wouldn't be too much in a hurry to get there. It will come in time. :)
That's very interesting and ... this is actually true. I never thought of it that way, but this is great point and can help people who are not native speakers feel better about themselves. English is my 2nd language and I even write books in English, but I am aware that my accent will never be like a native's. I never really tried to sound like a native speaker, but few years ago, a person who I would never thought will pick on this said to me: "Wow, you still have an accent, just like my sister-in-law. After all those years she still has an accent and she's been her 30 years." This comes from a person I barely know, we just happened to do short Interior Design course together. This was about 5 years ago. Accent is a touchy subject. I wouldn't dare to say to someone: "I detect an accent, where is it from?" If you are curious where a person is from, just ask, don't mention the accent. I don't think anybody likes that.
For me, listening is more important than speaking, because I dare to speak but I often don't understand what others say, improve listening from this channel ,Go!
unless you learn a language as a child you will always have an accent, which in my opinion, is not a problem at all. As long as native and second language speakers of the language are able to understand you "easily" you are good to go. However, the ability you do want to have as close as possible to native speakers is listening.
You are wrong..some people started learning a language as adults and they achieved a native level...as an example you have Dustin Luke. He speaks perfectly argentinian spanish accent as a native.
As a rule of thumb, it works. However, I've met people who learned a language as adults (in their early to mid-20ies) and I took them for native speakers. I also have a colleague who arrived at 30+. While she speaks virtually without an accent (I've detected only one characteristic trait from here native language), she does make some errors in grammar and vocabulary.
@NOTARI Sincerely? No idea. I guess they were just gifted and hard-working. One was a you guy from Ireland (or was it Northern Ireland?) who came to Germany when he was 20 or so. When we first talked (in German), there was virtually nothing to betray him. However, when I read an e-mail written by him, I saw that there were several errors that would probably pass unnoticed in speaking, but were there to see in writing. Another was a young refugee (from Syria, I think), who had had almost no schooling in his home country, but was so eager to learn that he seriously damaged his vision (he started wearing glasses). He was just incredible (I didn't get the chance to see his writing). The 30+ colleague is just gifted. Anyway, German was her fifth or so language (she speaks Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch and German, and she had Latin & Ancient Greek at school). She speaks very good German, but just not native-like.
Areas to work to become a native speaker:
09:45 Eliminate your accent
11:22 Colloquial Speech
12:47 Adopting cultural traits
14:55 Immersion
15:43 Learn the lyrics of songs
16:05 Right mindset:
Sound like a native
Express yourself like a native
Act like a native
16:27 Main thing - work on your pronunciation!
It's so hard to forget our accent, especially When you start to grow
the hero we need
you forgot this: marry an English speaker..!
Thanks. Because he goes up and then low his voice I can barely understand him.
what is the accent in this context?
Recording yourself while speaking it's also a way to check how you actually sound like and improve your pronunciation. Most of the time we think we sound pretty good... Until we hear our own voice 😁
damm :D :D ı dont wanna confess that stop ittttttttttttt
How de we improve our own voice?
キャンディス I guess about muscle memory. By listening to yourself, you will be able to notice the mistakes that you’re making while speaking
damn it so true
Yes I did that when I started learning English, it was horrible and couldn’t hear my voice, I still hate the way I talk ...
I'm tryng to improve my english by lestening to ted
Me too
Me too
me too
Go Annelise! I suggest you watch American movies too with your possibly favorite actors or about a place or adventure you can relate with. I'm not a native speaker but I'm also watching Ted to work my way to advanced level of fluency in English. 😊
Me too!!!!
Anton Chehov said that "the more languages you know, the more times you are human"! Thank you so much for this video❤
my english improved a lot, watching and listenig TED's
Ha me too
The same
Agree 👍🏻
Really?
Were you memorizing that words?
I learned English by immersing myself into books. I read a lot, and that's has improved my vocabulary and grammar immensely. As for pronunciation, I watch a lot of podcasts and listen to the audiobooks. I've invested time in learning this language, and I think it's the reason why it has improved enormously. At first, it was inconceivable that I could do this without attending classes but I did it. ❤
Can you please tell how much time in a day you spend it ?
@@kashmalakhizar916 Don't know how much he does, but do it as often as you can. Watching some films, playing videogames, whatever you do should be in English. And results will come immediately.
How long did it took you to see a progress?
take
Linguist here. Native fluency and master level are different concepts. For European languages, there is a scale from A1 to A2, B1, B2, C1 and finally C2. They represent different levels of speaking areas and skills, being A1 the basic fluency and C2 the academic one. A native speaker tends to be around B2 or C1, whilst the educated person (who has a bachelor degree, for instance) will probably speak a more sophisticated level of that language, which would be C2. Pronunciation is also different from accent. They are both connected, but having an accent doesn't make you worse speaker than a native person, on the contrary, it just shows one speaks other languages. The main point is if having an accent makes the other person confused or lead to misunderstandings, then you must correct it.
I agree with the other points he said. Exposure to the language is very important: read, write, listen and speak as most as you can. That's the only way to be really fluent.
Hi Daniel - yeah the whole 'native speaker' vs 'mastery' thing gets confused a lot. I certainly know a lot of my fellow native English speakers who have absolutely not mastered English and would struggle in undergraduate programs or even final year of high school.
I am not sure I know very MANY native speakers who are only B2... that's pretty low. C1 definitely, but B2, it'd be maybe 3 in 100 who didn't go further than that in their native language.
Language teacher here: Native speakers are NOT at B2, they are generally C2, perhaps only C1 in some cases.
@@stefanhansen5882 - It depends how it's measured. For spoken fluency, yes, native speakers would almost always be super high. But I know plenty of native speakers who struggle to read prose that is written for adults, e.g. a novel. In other words, their reading is at B2.
I know a FEW (not many) who would score B2 on the OOPT, and I think I know quite a few who would only score C1.
I think it depends what language we're talking about though. English has an extremely wide range because there are so many speakers at different ends of the socio-economic spectrum. Norway on the other hand, wouldn't be home to many people who would fail a Norwegian test, because the education level is so high.
Well, I think what he tried to say has nothing to do with "having an accent makes you a worse speaker than a native person"
What he said was that native speakers tend to (unconsciously) look differently at you if you don't have an accent. And yes, once again we all know that accents can be found in many different ways.
Obviously what he tried to say is that in order to "be accepted" by native speakers (once again unconsciously) one shouldn't have an accent that tells that they don't belong to a certain country.
For example, I'm from Brazil and we have MANY accents in here. It's a continental country. Even in my state, which is one of the smallest ones we have different kinds of accent. But I'd talk more freely and without thinking which words to use to a guy from the north of the country (I'm from the southern part of the country) knowing he's from the north cause of his accent than with a guy trying to speak Portuguese with a Japanese accent.
We do have lots of communities here in Brazil. Italians and Japanese being the biggest ones. Thus, we come across many people who speak Portuguese with an accent that's not Brazilian. Specially in greater cities.
I have a friend, she's Argentinian and when we go out together we tend to use easier vocabulary and we often don't overuse slang and idioms because she often feels confused or doesn't understand at all.
What he said was very accurate and has nothing to do with being a better or worse speaker.
I couldn’t agree more. Legit advice here guys. Achieving C2 is far underestimated and no one really understands this, but in reality even native speakers have a hard time to get there through education and shaping a sophisticated personality for themselves, which in turn provides them with vast and complex expressions and vocabulary by the very nature of exposure to quality and diverse content. So the bottom line is don’t second-guess your hard work and try to stay on the progress.
English is my fifth language which i am learning. And I can tell you the best way to improve your comprehension of any language is listening videos more and more and then try to imitate the sounds.
And lot a reading to fix fast
Your English is great 👍
I sometimes wonder,what you feel like when you can speak 5 language.. Does it confusing.. Im interested to learn arabic you know.. But just by hearing,i dont think i can learn that..
Thank you
@@khairulazmibadrudin8692 Arabic is so interested language..
I am watching Ted talks to improve my fluently and listening skill .
Thank you Ted .
I have been learning English for a year or more and it has really been difficult for me to understand when someone speaks native English. So I'm trying to improve my english by listening to videos in ted´s channel, and It is really helping me to understand more. I´m happy ☺❤
Our accent is a part of our personality! I remember one of the British ladies told me, 'Larisa, do whatever you want to do with your English, but please do not change your accent. it is so beautiful.'
So,where are u from ?
depends on where you're from and how your accent sounds like. Native speakers react and behave differently toward different accents
i agree totally, a professor of me said the same thing: Your accent is you, dont change it...
Larisa is a common name in Russia) Maybe she is from Ukraine/Byelorussia
Полностью согласен!
To summarize, first is to work on your pronunciation (eliminate your accent with a native speaker); second is Colloquial Speech (you have to learn expressions and idioms used by native speakers); third is Cultural Traits (internalize cultural traits of people of a particular language). That's all))) hope it will help you to save your precious time...
Thanks, master. How can I eliminate my accent?
thanks
It's nice seeing it summoned like that , thank you :3
@@brerivera4541 repeat with a native teacher
you're russian, aren't you?)))))))))))
I am sure my fluency in English is improving a lot, I usually listen to Ted videos and also I practice my speaking by simulating English tests situations. I am going to try recording myself while I answer the task questions. And finally, after watching this video, I can conclude that we are the only ones that put or erase the limits to ourselves in learning a new language.
You did good job
Bien hecho! Soy un gringo and that was great!
Hi Diana, could share me the SIMULATOR TRANING, thanks
@@robertogonzalez2502 Hi, You could look for toefl speaking tests......from TST prep
This man is amazing for revealing the secrets of successful language learning. Thanks mate!
He left me without any words. Just an impressive and elegant speech! I wanna wish you all to reach the language level what you want!
It might be weird but I learned English just watching series (with subs) and repeating what actors saying. I was sitting in my room watching and copying phases like I was in front of a camera acting myself. I didn't plan anything. I was just imagining I am fluent already 😂
Years passed and now I live in the UK and doing my BA course because at certain moment my school grades for English became better (from 0, I couldn't say even "my name is XXX") and I saw so many new prospects
I'm not saying my English is perfect now. I just can't believe that my whole life changed so much just because I've got a habit repeating words from tv shows
I did that with Spanish. I still am not totally fluent but I understand sooo much and can talk much better than before
I agree! I’m a language teacher and most people underestimate the importance of pronunciation! In fact, I think as a beginner or at an intermediate level you can have a limited vocabulary and only basic grammar skills but you’ll communicate in a more natural way with natives if your pronunciation is as authentic as possible. So keep working on that!
My godness, this man domine many lenguages while I struggle just with learning english.That's amazing
Спасибо 🙏🏻 I am a Russian woman living in the USA. It was very incredible to hear at the end of the lecture that you are married to a Russian woman and your children speak Russian. 😁🥰
Who’s watching in 2024?
Yes!❤
Me😂❤
In good brother
Me😂
❤❤
I’m from china,I’m struggling for learning english very hard just because of my interest, thanks for TED’s video!
how's your english going?
Chinese language is more difficult. English or french is easier
Being a native Portuguese speaker and having learned both English and Spanish fluently, I totally agree when he says you kinda show a different "personality" when speaking in another language. I definitely feel like that when speaking in Spanish, for example. It's like a candid impersonation of somebody else.
Oh yes, when I'm speaking English I'm much more outgoing and extroverted. Im "cooler" and more adventurous.
you still speak portuguese, right?
The "ouch" example was great, that stuff is too difficult to control! :D You can be as fluent as possible, but if someone knocks a tray out of your hand, you'll swear in your mother tongue.
Let me chip in with: NUMBERS. No matter the level of language proficiency, when you read a text and there are numbers in it, they'll come to your mind in your native language first... I think when you overcome that, that's when you've officially become like a native speaker, lol
Written by my smartass English identity
I used to think that... but now I also say aua when I'm with germans
Who said that thinking numbers in English means one has attained native speaker level?
lowgrasswhite I know many foreigners here (in New Caledonia) who don’t even speak very well French but swear in French when they’re surprised. I think it really depends what language you use the most in your daily life, no matter what your level is.
in Taiwanese, 幹
Counting and multiplying is always in your native language.
I agree! I'm a language teacher and most people underestimate the importance of pronunciation! In fact, I think as a beginner or at an intermediate level you can have a limited vocabulary and only basic grammar skills but you'll communicate in a more natural way with natives if your pronunciation is as authentic as possible. So keep working on that!
repeating is fundamental to mastering any kind of skill, such as speaking a foreign language fluently. It creates a bridge between the meaning and the sound. Listening to native speakers and repeating multiple times and in different ways will develop your ability to self-correct. We instinctively try to reproduce and imitate what we perceive as good. Marc Green is so right!
What a well said and organized speech. As a non American citizen who has learned English to the level of a native speaker, I can totally relate and agree with all of what that was said here. Thanks so much!!!
Even with "eliminate your own accent?!
I can confirm the accent thing. I worked on my mandarin accent a lot and when I speak to Chinese people, especially in my own country, they are really happy and friendly towards me, even giving me discounts when it’s a shop owner
I am from India😂
Areas to work to become a native speaker:
09:45 Pronunciation - perfect sentence technique - practice
11:22 Phrases and expressions - accumulate - practice
12:47 local traits - actively observe - mimic practice
14:55 Immersion - practice
All about practice
damnnn
I've never resonated with a Ted Talk more. This was phenomenal.
Same Orion from Ogden, UTAH?
What I like about this talk is that he's essentially just saying that if you want to reach that level you need to work. No bs. Good pointers.
English is my first language to learn that's why i always listen ted to improve my english thank you wow i wondered how people learn languages well like this
To summarize, 17 minutes to tell us that.. We must practise. Thank you Marc
I'm impressed by the fact "English is not the art you master, but the tool you communicate." Yeah it's absolutely right... I want to struggle to improve my English skills.
It is one of the good ways to improve your English by listening to TED TALKS
I think that his methods for improving our English skills are really good. I especially liked the way with native speaker and pronunciation imrovement. Also, I agree with him that watching TV films and listening to music are also very good pathes to learn foreign languages. Of all the language learning methods presented in the video, I personally use these two. Finally, I would to add that l I'm very impressed with the way he ended his speech. That was incredible!
0:00-3:40 The speaker's experience when visiting Soviet Union and how it affec him
3:41-4:26 Interacting with the audience
4:28-6:04 The metaphor with opening deck of cards and the chart with different levels of English
6:05-8:11 How his bilingual background influence him
8:12-9:35 Back to the chart with different levels of English
9:36-14:57 Three areas to focus on when learning a language:
9:36-11:20 (1) Eliminating/minimizing your accent
11:21-12:46 (2) Using verbs and expressions local used
12:47-14:38 (3) Adopting cultural traits
14:58-16:22 Tips for those who do not have many native speakers around them
16:23-16:49 The most important thing of his talk: pronounciation
16:50-17:37 How he overcame his fear of the Russian language and saying goodbye in a foreign language
His way of communication is adorable...every sentense is clear to all ......this is the important thing of a speakers wht they r gng to tell it should clear or understandable to audience .....
Wow, he speak so many languages and he did it so good. I'm amazed by this man.
I’m really impressed by his speech! When he started talking about the fear from a language i remembered myself a couple of years ago. Now i can be proud of myself, cuz i have been learning English for a quite long time and reached the level when i can fully understand what I’m reading and listening (also understand English videos without subtitles😂)
And absolutely agree that music helps to improve pronunciation, to minimize the accent and also to cheer up) not a single day goes by without listening it))
Oo nice 👌👌impressive
u
u
jujuuujguyjuyjijhg
I know speak like native speaker is very hard.But I’m never give up,I always try my best to improve my English skills everyday.I want to thank you for this video.This directed motivate to me for continued learning English. ❤️ 👏 ❤️
Easy step: Marry an English native speaker! works a looooot
U mean marry?
@@manopablogo8983 hahahaha
@@diamelapumarinojackson7634 hahahahahaha
I am already married 😆
Can we talk? 🥺🥺 To improve my English.
I think that the native accent is certainly useful when you are trying not to get screwed by a taxi driver or bargaining a price, but otherwise I'd say to learn the native accent should be an option, not a must. You can have it as a goal and even do it from the very beginning when learning a language, but don't make that a requirement to be able to call yourself fluent in a language.
Also I heard his accent right away. Because I have the same accent I could tell that he was a German speaker who speaks very good American English. In all he said he seemed to come more from a very German perspective. Although I didn't see how he was American influenced what he said about having different identities when speaking different languages is very true.
I agree, I heard his accent right away too. I have a southern American accent and I sound very different than loads of other Americans. I disagree with him on the accent part. I think it’s just more about a command of grammar.
Living in a foreign country really push your thinking when it comes to learning another language, but it is not enough to reach the native skills level, you also have to immerse yourself in their culture and be humble enough to accept criticism in order for you to grow.
Indeed I agree with you. I have russian coworkers who have been living in my country for over 9 years but they still need help from me.
Hello, I'm From brazil and I'm studying english language. So, I'm here to ask If someone would become my friend to practice english and get contact, I would love it. My Intragram user : J4nds. :)
Damn, your comment sounds almost like a poem..good 👍
@@jeants4283 Eu estou legal com isso :)
Totally agree w u .
Repeating is fundamental to mastering any kind of skill, such as speaking a foreign language fluently. It creates a bridge between the meaning and the sound. Listening to native speakers and repeating multiple times and in different ways will develop your ability to self-correct. We instinctively try to reproduce and imitate what we perceive as good. Marc Green is so right ! ✔👌
This man gives me a lot of motivation and a very incentive to work hard again and again and improve my English and my French so let's do it it doesn't matter where u live or who are u jus remember to try ur best to make ur dream cames true and become fluent in many language not just English by the way I from morroco and I wish u all a good luck guys , let's do it
If I comply with your advice my English will undoubtedly be enhanced greatly. I believe in this.
good luck :) :)
I'm a 9 year old Vietnamese and speak fluent English. I learn at an English center called ILA and I'm in the highest class. So, I think I've flipped 60% of the cards.
Congratulations. And good luck with your RUclips channel!! 💚
I just came here to learn English and discover the minds of the people who are taking. ❤️🇮🇶
Loved this video, played it to my High school students in China today. I have a Chinese wife and my 2 young kids are multilingual! Very good tips indeed!
When he speaks, his voice is pleasant to hear, who agrees with me?
Having heard the word "cringe" I asked myself if I continue to watch the video or not ... having heard the very last words I feel thankful to myself for being patient! Thank you for the advices. And I must say I completely agree with you that the best way to deal with our fears goes through love.:) Cпасибо!
Got the same feeling at the beginning. The funny thing people say sych bad things about Russia which generally arent true but then end up wanting to marry a russian girl... So, if everything is so bad with the Russians, then why would they want to marry the russian one?
I learned Italian and English at the same time and I totally agree with you. Children do not need to be totally immersed in English to learn it> I knew who to speak to in English and who to speak to in Italian and have never had to stop and think about it. Being bilingual is not a hindrance at all.
I think TEDx is going to be my English study partner as I'm polyglot i know My mothertounge Awadhi, My native language Nepali, Similarly i also know Bengali as i completed my graduation in Bangladesh, Im also fluent in hindi as i watched hindi movies and series simultaneously, besides this i also practice Maithali and Khaam language which is consider as mothertongue of different indigenous among 123 languages of Nepal.
Lets Hope i will speak fluently either by using low vocabulary or with little bit english knowledge♥️♥️😍
It is so impressive! I totally agree with the importance of working on pronuncation. A few years ago, I had an awakward Japanese-english speaking accent cuz I speak fluent Japanese. I tried more than 2 years to posh my accent, and I feel so good now. Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea.
Any tips on how you improved your accent?
One of the nicests Ted’s I’ve listened to.
Thanks Marc
"אני מאחל לכם הרבה בהצלחה בלימודים" 17:19
אני מודה לך על האיחולים הלבביים.
תודה רבה על ההרצאה המרתקת!!!
Love from Indonesia. ❤. May God bless us.
I love how I did all these things on my own and it all worked and now I just bumped into this video basically reminding me i did well.
this makes me feel a lot better about my french! ive always sort of thought about my goal for learning french not necessarily to be perfect, but to be seamless into the culture! really loved this talk!
At first when i started learning English, i could not understand what they tell in ted talk. Then after a long time, i completely understand what they are talking about
Listening to ted is definitely helping me to improve my english skills
"How many languages do you know, so many times you are human" Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Our accent is part of our culture, even native speaker have their accents, for example, a british won't sound like an australian or an american, We just have to pronounce well, no changes our accent
VENTHOR TOOLS you're RIGHT . People shouldn't be ashamed of theirs accent.
you re 100% right . I ve always thought of this way and you ve really put it in the best accurate way .
Totally agree!
Yeah. I totally agree with the part describing the areas to focus on when we're learning native speakers. Especially, for pronunciation, I often record my voice speaking some conversation book for another language. And, I can compare my voice with another voice on the book's material. And, for expressing that local usually use, I listen or practice the language's drama. Yeah, I think the thing is persistence. If we want to learn another language, I think we should be patient till we can get the ability. Anyways, that was a very good speech. Thanks.
Last time, I listened to Ted's lecture about the reason for learning a language. I think it's very good to learn a language, but I can't learn it as fast. Also, I think there is a level of language. I was able to solve my curiosity by looking at this lecture and seeing how long it takes for me to learn the language that I was curious about so that I could do well like a local person, basic steps, and living language level. I'm interested in languages, so I want to be good at many things, but I've also solved my concerns about how to start. As I said in this lecture, I think the more exposed a language is, the faster it can be learned. And you can catch the words, humor, etc. used by locals use. My goal is to stay in a foreign country for about a year and learn a language before graduating later. I'm writing comments right now, but I don't have a language that I can say I'm good at, but I hope I can master one language by the time I graduate. When I saw the video about language before, I thought language was important, but I felt it again in this lecture.
This is absolutely mericle!!!
His Intelligence quotient is much bigger than than normal people.
oh man! I'm not a big fan of saying "Speak English like a Native" I preferred "Speak English like a new version of yourself" . This changed my entire life!
I really loved it, especially when you insisted on the pronunciation because I consider it like a soul of languages
by the way I speak Arabic, I learned French language, and I'm learning English since 2020, I've reached the upper intermediate level.
think you for sharing your experience with us
This man deserves thousand 'likes' 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
this guy have so many interesting examples in his speech. they blow me away
I wish I can be fluent in English this year ASAP. I found it might be a great help not only to broad your mind but also to gain working opportunity with the help of mastering another language. Thanks the encouragement of this video. I love you guys who commented here so much, because I can feel I am not alone. I will get back here to check, good luck!
now are you fluent or not
One slight inaccuracy: in 1987 exchange rate was 1 ruble = ca. $1.5.
But indeed a great TED talk. ☺️
He is a genius in learning foreign language. He can speak a lot of languages.
Admire !!!
Just couldn't resist to say that it is one of the greatest talks I've ever seen.
Wow! He said everything I was thinking about in understanding others, and the work they have to go through in understanding us arrogant Americans, but our laziness to accept their hard work and mental exercise to master our way of talking too.
This man is simply unbelievable! Hi is so intelligent and charming. Я получила большое удовольствие от его лекции. Браво!
Interesting because my father always taught me "You speak the language you're learning with the accent their native speakers speak English with". It deals with rhythm and sounds and it's been very helpful for me anyway. Also that idea of someone's accent or lack-of affecting how they are treated is way, way more significant than we realise I think.
Jajajaja okay, deseo hablar todos esos idiomas! Me sorprendió el final!!! Ya tengo el italiano, inglés intermedio, el siguiente es el coreano! Vamos que podemos políglotas!😊✌️
I'm trying to improve my English following Ted's. I'd like to find people to practise with.
Three areas to focus on learning and interacting with a native speaker
1. Eliminating your accent.
2. Using verbs and expressions that locals use.
3. Adapting cultural traits.
I do agree about the music. As an Indonesian I really love listening to the music from the radio, TV, movie since I was young. Then when I was about 13 y.o I started writing the lyrics of the songs I like, tried to sing it. From there, I could learn a lot of pronunciation. Correcting grammar in my writings are also interesting. I wish I could travel around the world more (29 now and only have traveled to Malaysia which was not that much different from my language).
Already extended my passport yet still clean.
Well, at least I can still "travel" by maximizing the use of technology that I know. Learning new languages is always fun for me (even though it might be boring at some point lol 😂)
Great video, thanks for making it easier for me to understand. Much appreciated.
Brilliant tutorial. I could listen to you all day. An excellent teacher!!
It's by simply investing in the stöcks and Cryptó market, with the help of my advisor.
I would advise you try EOS price prediction, it's a smart investment because it will rise again),
@Juliet Mark Personally, I trade with Mrs Jaymar. I will highly recommend her to you. Her services are exceptional and her returns
are great
Crypto currency and Nfts will outsmart the banking system in the nearest future serving as a global fiat. Already making over 75per profit from my current investment
I speak five languages and I have 3 nationalities and I can tell you bugger off , you don’t need a native accent to be honest i even prefer as the natives as well My accent is something that differed me from others ,, the importance when speaking is been fluent and understanding fluently.
Speaking and listening is very basic skills, we have to understand others and make ourselves understood. It is good if we can speak fluently. It is fantanstic if we can speak like a native speaker.
Please, could you tell me the most helpful teaching strategies of EFL speaking skill. for the high school students
Alex Storn yap totally agree with you
ya, i think too. don't need speaking like a native accent cuz if u just speak that sure other people can understand what you say, it is da best
I WANNNAAA B DIFFRUNTTTT
That's incredible!!! Thanks for the way you're conveying the information!!! So pleasant to hear this all, my heart is full of many thanks to you!!!
The video is useful, thank you very much!!!
I have no problems with having an accent or anyone else's accent. What I have problems with is dealing with how people treat me because I am different. And that creates a lack of confidence, especially during job interviews. Good luck everyone. You can do it.
That's how I feel when I speak French. The people who look down on you probably only speak one language and don't understand the effort it takes to learn a new language. I wouldn't worry too much about what they think.
Thanks to ted talks daily it really helps me too improve my english speaking.
Hey. Can we English learning partners, to improve our fluency?
Nice video, I just want to mention that The Saint-Petersburg's metro (station Admiralteiskaya) is deeper than the deepest station in Moscow, but the deepest one in the world is Arsenal'naya station in Kiyev (Ukraine).
In the age of globalization, languages remain one of the last barriers between people.
No, languages are not the last barriers between people, there are also cultures, education and religions.
They are national borders, not languages.
If we overcome language barrier, we can overcome borders and cultures
The language is not barrier between us. I guees it's our goverments which show to us what we need to hate each other. It is my opinion
UPD: At least I meant about russian goverment xD
Maxilingual vv
Studying a language never ends!!
like everything else
I'm from Indonesia, i just learning English language and it's very hard because i'm just learning from RUclips, thanks for TED's
Wow, I was really impressed with his speech!! 💓 I totally agree with his opinion!!
I can't agree more on the accent subject. Unfortunately, there are so many teachers that encourage students to just learn grammar and vocabulary and actively tell them not to worry about their accent and that the only thing that matters is "they will understand you".
I strongly disagree with them. Once you reach a certain level of a language, it'd be very hard and something discouraging to go back and fix your pronunciation. It can just turn you off
However, I should say I disagree with the romance part, because so many learners actually take advantage and use natives for the sake of learning which results in messy breakups. You should have a heart. If you love someone, go for it. If not, don't you dare play them
If someone says, I want to speak English like a native", what they probably wish to express is that they just desire to acquire high level of fluency. You should not try to eliminate your accent. Your accent tells people where you are from.
U didnt catch the purpose of not expressing an accent.
The idea of listening to music is incredible. when I've started learning English the only thing that I was doing was listening to music the whole day and translating it into my language I recommend this to you guys it was and still constructive a lot
and now when I reached the advanced level I am trying to use that kind of apps which I can talk to people randomly and practise english as much as i can :)
GOOD LUCK YOU'LL
I felt stressed whenever I started to listen to any English video. Now, i'm better and more confident. But this is not enough to become fluent in English. I must try harder! Keep going💪
So, English is my 2nd language, I live in the US, I speak like a native and in some ways it is a little terrifying. There is comfort when you have an accent because people are very kind, patient and understanding towards any ignorance you might have culturally while if you sound native your ignorance might be taken offensively. I am proud of all the work I put in to sound "flawless" because I disliked how I sounded but my advice is don't feel stress and pressure about it. I liked singing as my best tool for pronounciation and training the right muscles in the throat, tongue and face. For my third language I am letting the pace happen naturally rather than forced because I do want my pronounciation to reflect my skill level culturally to have that "security" feel.
That's very interesting! I have heard this from a few other people too - many say that trying to speak like a native is "overrated" because natives are less likely to forgive social mistakes if they feel like you are one of them.
@@plateofpasta12 Yes and nothing wrong with that if you match that level but if you learned it a bit too fast it can be very stressful. It is a cool feeling to be forgotten that you are speaking a second language but I wouldn't be too much in a hurry to get there. It will come in time. :)
@Shinji murakami Thank you. :)
Very interesting idea
That's very interesting and ... this is actually true. I never thought of it that way, but this is great point and can help people who are not native speakers feel better about themselves. English is my 2nd language and I even write books in English, but I am aware that my accent will never be like a native's. I never really tried to sound like a native speaker, but few years ago, a person who I would never thought will pick on this said to me: "Wow, you still have an accent, just like my sister-in-law. After all those years she still has an accent and she's been her 30 years." This comes from a person I barely know, we just happened to do short Interior Design course together. This was about 5 years ago. Accent is a touchy subject. I wouldn't dare to say to someone: "I detect an accent, where is it from?" If you are curious where a person is from, just ask, don't mention the accent. I don't think anybody likes that.
Damn ! He speaks 6 languages . Thats amazing in all the 4 different language family.
that last bit about songs explains why my korean grows in such a different way than my french! so cool!
And watching movies with subtitle also helps me so much to improve my English language better!!
For me, listening is more important than speaking, because I dare to speak but I often don't understand what others say, improve listening from this channel ,Go!
unless you learn a language as a child you will always have an accent, which in my opinion, is not a problem at all. As long as native and second language speakers of the language are able to understand you "easily" you are good to go. However, the ability you do want to have as close as possible to native speakers is listening.
You are wrong..some people started learning a language as adults and they achieved a native level...as an example you have Dustin Luke. He speaks perfectly argentinian spanish accent as a native.
As a rule of thumb, it works. However, I've met people who learned a language as adults (in their early to mid-20ies) and I took them for native speakers.
I also have a colleague who arrived at 30+. While she speaks virtually without an accent (I've detected only one characteristic trait from here native language), she does make some errors in grammar and vocabulary.
@NOTARI Sincerely? No idea. I guess they were just gifted and hard-working. One was a you guy from Ireland (or was it Northern Ireland?) who came to Germany when he was 20 or so. When we first talked (in German), there was virtually nothing to betray him. However, when I read an e-mail written by him, I saw that there were several errors that would probably pass unnoticed in speaking, but were there to see in writing.
Another was a young refugee (from Syria, I think), who had had almost no schooling in his home country, but was so eager to learn that he seriously damaged his vision (he started wearing glasses). He was just incredible (I didn't get the chance to see his writing).
The 30+ colleague is just gifted. Anyway, German was her fifth or so language (she speaks Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch and German, and she had Latin & Ancient Greek at school). She speaks very good German, but just not native-like.