Does anyone know someone who learned English in his/her teens and now speaks with little or no accent?

Question

What is that person's native language? How does s/he do it? Is it a natural gift?

Answer 1

The human brain's ability to pronounce other languages is set by a person's teen years. So generally, if you haven't learned a language by your teens, you will not get that accent perfectly-- its just hard wired.
I know a couple of people who have very little accent and learned English as teens, one spoke French and the other spoke Spanish.
I learned Spanish and French as a young teen, and now, as an adult, I am blessed with near perfect accents in both. Then, I started to learn German at age 17 and I speak it with a French accent, instead of an American accent. (My German exchange student found this really entertaining! LOL)
So, apparently, my "cut-off" point was about 15 years of age. It varies from person to person, but that is a good generalization.

Answer 2

I know a Chech who learned english in her twenties and spoke without an accent two years later. A gift? I don't know, but she already spoke 4 languages when she learned english. I think that helped. Those speaking spanish seem to have the hardest time speaking english without an accent to me. So, if you are struggling with that same predicament, don't feel alone.

Answer 3

Well, my friend [now 17 years old] is from Brazil, so she speaks Portuguese...she moved here to the U.S. when she was around 12 and learned it pretty quick...She has NO Portuguese accent, whatsoever...She speaks English perfectly...If she hadn't told me, I would think she was born here...She's also been learning Spanish from her friends little by little, but she has a strong Portuguese accent when it somes to that. And she has been taking French for 2 years, and has a pretty good French accent too, since pronouncing the "R"'s is similar to those in Portuguese.

And me, personally, have spoken English and Spanish fluently since i can remember, being raised by Mexican parents in the U.S. And now in my 3rd year of taking French [i have a pretty good accent, too]...And im also tryin to learn a little bit of Italian, and my accent's pretty good, since its really similar to Spanish.

Answer 4

I've had this experience with French. I learned from Americans and Britons in school, but I never learned how to actually sound French. People in Paris and Meaux could easily tell I was a foreigner.

It takes a conscious effort to learn the local accent, and though it may sound unnatural at first, eventually you start sounding like them.

Answer 5

Under 12 years, muscle commands of the larynx pharynx tract are not fully fixed to the neuronal connections in the brain, so they can very easily be modified to accept new different settings that ultimately are converted in sounds

Answer 6

well, I'm from Russia and learning English, I'm 14. I have an accent and it's horrible

Answer 7

IM 15 i use to speek spanish now i speek english and spanish
vary good my spanish is stell vary good i just cant read it

Answer 8

well i moved from the south (mississippi) to california, and now i dont talk much like a southerner...does that count?