without accent
It may or may not be impossible. It's an empirical question. I haven't met anyone who has done it, or even heard of anyone who has (other than cases of one English-speaking person mastering the accent of another English-speaking group).
I would like to believe it's possible, though, and I'm trying to prove it myself right now. After 1.5 years of hard work, I can manage a native-sounding accent on the phone, but I often still get caught out in person (depending on the person). It's almost like there's this truly subtle level to an accent that's almost physiological - which is where the 'early development' theory could come in.
Honestly, I have no clue or not I will ever be able to reliably & consistently do a 100% native-sounding accent that will fool a native speaker in a quiet environment- but I will keep working toward it. Maybe I'll call the experiment done if I'm still not there 5 years from when I started.
I think the real question is if we can sound like a native speaker at least some of the time. The answer is yes. Some people can do this even on the phone.
Some Scandinavians (e.g. Swedes/Norwegians) speak perfect English without a trace of an accent even if they've never been to the States and they're over 21.
On the other hand, I've personally met several people who came over to the US when they were 7 years old, yet still retain a bit of an accent.
The key to losing an accent is talking a lot. Even a week of intensive talking in a language (without a chance to speak your native tongue) can make a significant difference. I'm about to post about my experience in a separate thread.
"Some people can do this even on the phone".
I have never heard a native English speaker without an accent. My mother tongue is a romance language
ESB: Some Scandinavians (e.g. Swedes/Norwegians) speak perfect English without a trace of an accent even if they've never been to the States and they're over 21.
ESB, you must realize that Swedes and Norwegians start their English instruction at a very young age.
Do Swedes or Norwegians speak American English? I thought they spoke British or International English
Blanche, I'm told that they are given a choice between British English and GAE.
''Some Scandinavians (e.g. Swedes/Norwegians) speak perfect English without a trace of an accent even if they've never been to the States and they're over 21.''
Perfect, but non-native. American people will say immediately: you're not from here. In fact, what most Scandiavians think it's an American accent, it's just a Scandinavian accent. They have a Scandinavian accent even when they claim they speak with an ''American'' accent. LOL
<< Do Swedes or Norwegians speak American English? I thought they spoke British or International English >>
International English? Please explain...
<<It is believed that the neurons involving native language acquirement are fully grown by the age of 21, making true native speech after that age impossible.>>
This is simply not true. An accent is simply moving you tongue and vocal chords etc in a certain way. A good knowledge of phonetics, thousands of hours of listening practice (repeat what you hear! Use good headphones!) and learning to pronounce the words correctly in the first place will most definitely be a great help. I know of many people in the phonetics department who speak all kinds of languages with a native accent.
<<There is a body of opinion that asserts that there are a few gifted individuals who can overcome this handicap, but if there are, I've never met them. >>
It's not a question of "gifts", it's a question of commitment. If you believe it's impossible and that you can't do it and it's not worth the thousands of hours of practice that are required, then you will most likely fail. I know many adults who speak two languages with a native accent. They all had a good study technique and put the effort in from the word go (all learnt from aural sources btw.).
<<Arnold Schwarzenegger still speaks with a noticeable accent.>>
Why would Arnold want to lose his accent? It's a part of his character and sends across a tough-guy terminator attitude. If he came out one day speaking with a native American accent people would find that hilarious!
Please don't listen to the people out there that say it's impossible, it's simply not true. Check their research, I doubt they studied really committed accent students who practised every day for 5 years (and had a decent study technique.) Many people spout claims based on pretty poor research that just end up disheartening many language learners. I believe that you can learn to speak a language to a native-like level, both in terms of the accent and of the language itself. It requires a huge amount of dedication, but I know people who've done it and you can too!
To answer the poster's question - yes. I've met people who speak English, Spanish, German and Japanese with a native-like accent. They all learnt in university as adults.
Good luck, I wish you all the best!
In the Netherlands we learn British English in schools but I think most people sound more American because of tv shows and movies.
But most Dutch people have specific things when they try to speak English. The ending -d is oftenly like a -t if a Dutchman speaks.. And th like in 'thing' is a difficult one for many Dutchies. It's oftenly 'sing' or 'ting'.
Danilo,
I haven't and I see it impossible. By that age one speaks his native language very well.
The reason why some people don't have an accent in romance languages or German is that these languages are fonetic. English language sounds are very difficult to pronounce and because a letter can be pronounce din many ways makes it different for people to get rid of their native accent. But this is just my opinion.
Hi everybody
I am not a native speaker and I think that people who met me have noticed that when I speak with them, so I found out accent is very important skill to learn. I want to ask you what is the best way to master the accent because I live in a nonenglish speaking country. please reply so soon.