my audio sample - comments welcome!

plummy_lover   Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:00 am GMT
>> I wonder if the whole thing about not pronouncing the plural s's as z's is common to natives of other Slavic languages? This is a second poster from Eastern Europe who has that issue.

I don't know about other Slavonic languages but it is a general rule in Polish to unvoice every voiced consonant that occurs at the end of the word if it is preceded by a vowel (eg. kod and kot are homophones). I think that for this reason I might also pronounce words like "hat" instead of "had" etc. but this is what less people notice.

As for the recording, I know that I sound Polish. However, if in a ususal everyday speech I put on a "lazy" accent (a lot of glottal stops, "idea rof" instead of
idea of", tchune instead of tune, shtudent instead of student etc.) then I think I sound more "native", although still not quite.

>> THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING AN ACCENT AS LONG AS YOU ARE UNDERSTOOD.

Yes, and there is nothing wrong with being blind, deaf and without a leg as long as you're alive...
plummy_lover   Fri Oct 30, 2009 11:19 am GMT
http://www.karolek.w.tkb.pl/catcher.wma (right-click and save) A new recording - I tried to sound less posh - is it any better?