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DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨days⁩ ago

You acquired “native-level” English “with an American Accent” when you started learning at age 18?

Bruh, my older brother has been here since 13 and he still sounds so weird…

remotely like an average American

What does an “Average American” look like?

Honestly my “American-ness” is gonna depend a lot on if my parents are around…

Like imagine I go to Europe for vacation… One moment, I talk to parents in Cantonese and we sound like either Guangdong-Mainlanders or Hong Kongers, then next moment I speak in perfect American English and they’re gonna be confused if I’m Chinese or American…

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zlatiah@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨day⁩ ago
Well… I might be a special case. Most folks I know don’t acquire languages that easily

What does an “Average American” look like? I thought it would be whatever the stereotypes one would get from popular American TV shows… which is not very Asian all-things considered. But I guess the language plays a role too. This is something that is hard to grasp while I was in the US, but Americans as a whole do have a rather distinct English accent that is different from folks from say Britain, Australia, other places where English isn’t the primary language, etc…

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