Do these Chinese have good accent? (incl. video clips)

Claria   Mon Oct 13, 2008 7:56 am GMT
Hello, everyone in antimoon

I am lucky to find this amazing forum which enables us to discuss any language-related issues. I am from China and have been studying English for years.
Today I would like to ask a question about accent and intonation. The following are video clips from the top five participants in an English-speaking competition held in China. They are all students from different universities of China.

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/H4h1alLMUvI/
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/dGmBsWHCx2Y/
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/_ApEISDnLgs/
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/wE_3DxeqBoc/
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/X225-W3GAgs/

I wonder about how English native speakers think about these students' accent? Does their accent sound more like British English or American English? Or do they still sound like foreigners? Which participant has the best accent and intonation? Please share your opinions and thanks in advance!
Guest   Mon Oct 13, 2008 8:22 am GMT
They all spoke clear English,but with undoubtedly Chinglish accent!
It was neither British accent nor American accent.
1   Mon Oct 13, 2008 9:29 am GMT
Clip 1: More American influences, but you can tell it is Chinese.
Clip 2: Very few (if any) influences from American English, but rather a mix of Southeastern British, Australian, and Chinese.
Clip 3: Strong Chinese features, but more RP influences as opposed to American English influences.
Clip 4: Strong Chinese features, but more American English influences. I did not hear very many influences from British English.
Clip 5: Strong Chinese features mixed with what sounds like Cockney, Irish, and assorted American and British English influences.

All of the speakers were clear and easy to understand, but most of them have a difficult time with dental fricatives such as /θ/ and /ð/. The topic of who has the best accent is subjective, but my vote would go to the speaker in the second clip.

They all seem to have a great command of the English language, but it is almost impossible to eliminate influences from your native language and dialect.
Guest   Mon Oct 13, 2008 10:12 am GMT
Their intonation is completely off. Me Tarzan, you Bruce Lee
LOL
Claria   Tue Oct 14, 2008 2:04 am GMT
Thanks for the above honest comments. I am particularly impressed by the second comment, which is really professional, insightful and detailed.
But I am confused by "Me Tarzan, you Bruce Lee "? Would the Guest please elaborate it a little?

So it seems even the top students in China cannot imitate the British or American accent well? Why is it so difficult for non-native speakers, especially Chinese (and other Asians?), to learn a decent English accent? From the point of view of native speakers, what is the main feature of so-called “Chinglish accent”? Is it acceptable for non-native speakers to pronounce clearly without a proper accent and intonation when communicating with native speakers?

Please share your views and thanks a lot!
Robin Michael   Tue Oct 14, 2008 3:00 am GMT
"Me Tarzan, you Bruce Lee "?

This person is being rather rude. I only saw the first video and I was very impressed with the standard of English.

In the Tarzan Films, and 'Ape Man' (man who has been living in the jungle too long) meets a woman called 'Jane'.

The 'Ape Man' says: "Me Tarzan - You Jane"

- Bruce Lee is Martial Arts Actor (Actor in Martial Arts Films)


Tarzan The Ape Man (1932)She repeats herself and points to herself to teach him his mistake: "I said: ' Thank you for protecting me.'" Tarzan again says "Me" as he pokes Jane. ...
www.filmsite.org/tarzB.html - 10k - Cached - Similar pages
Guest   Tue Oct 14, 2008 10:50 am GMT
They got a long way 2 go. From China to Mexico.
It's a bad bad lingo.
ScavHC   Tue Oct 14, 2008 6:45 pm GMT
Hi, I believe that the 2nd contender was the strongest.
Claria   Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:05 am GMT
From the comments posted so far, it seems that no speakers in the video are impressive in terms of intonation, except the second speaker. In fact, the second speaker comes from a HK university and he must be more exposed to English than other contenders.

Regarding the dental fricatives, it is known to the linguists that Chinese tend to substitute the dental fricatives "th" by /s/ and /z/.

As for the intonation, Chinese simply tend to produce "flat" intonation. Because of that, they speak English as if they lack the emotion that is found in the rich intonation by the native speakers.

A major reason for this problem might be that there is no such thing as intonation in Chinese. Chinese is a syllable-timed language. Each word has its own tone and the same word is always pronounced with the same tone, regardless of its position and context in the sentences. While in English, the same word may be pronounced quite differently in different sentences, largely depending on the contexts. As there seem no rules regarding when and how to alter the words’ pronunciation, it is hard for Chinese to master the intonation skill.

The above is just my own thoughts, hope that I have got my points conveyed. Please let me know if that makes any sense.
Claria   Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:18 am GMT
A lot of thanks to Robin Michael for the detailed explanation of "Me Tarzan, you Bruce Lee "? I also feel it sound a little bit rude

I feel it is difficult to pick up the intonation, even if I often listen to BBC's broadcast programs. I can easily understand BBC's program and am totally aware of the intonation of the broadcasters, yet it is hard for me to imitate the same intonation. I mean, if I am to read a piece of news, like the broadcasters do, I will have no idea which intonation I should use. Does it take a genius learner to "feel" the intonation by instinct?
Guest   Wed Oct 15, 2008 2:32 am GMT
Unless you grow up in an English-speaking country, it is almost impossible for non-native Enlgish speakers to speak like naitves.
Another Guest   Sun Oct 19, 2008 1:09 am GMT
The first seems to have an EXCESS of intonation. She seems determined to not have a flat intonation, and so overcompensates.

Besides the noted troubles, the speakers seem to have trouble with other phonemes, such as "r" ("coner" instead of "corner"). They also have some trouble with the language itself, dropping proposition or articles, or using nonstandard word choice ("cash settlement" instead of "cash payment" or just "cash").

BTW, I find several of the BBC's anchors to have rather awful intonation.