[quote]I guess she thought it sounded posh.[/quote]
Wonder how many know that "POSH" stands for "Port Out Starboard Home?" It's from the old British East India Company days. Port was the shady side of the ship outbound to Indian, and starboard was the shady side coming home. This whole discussion sounds like a "one size fits all" proposition. Some people have an accent which can't be changed at 12, and some don't. I learned to speak German in my early 30s without an American accent and I can move my English accent around at will. Age is important, but much more so for some than others. Other important factors are motivation, malleability of the particular brain, musical ability and others...
Wonder how many know that "POSH" stands for "Port Out Starboard Home?" It's from the old British East India Company days. Port was the shady side of the ship outbound to Indian, and starboard was the shady side coming home. This whole discussion sounds like a "one size fits all" proposition. Some people have an accent which can't be changed at 12, and some don't. I learned to speak German in my early 30s without an American accent and I can move my English accent around at will. Age is important, but much more so for some than others. Other important factors are motivation, malleability of the particular brain, musical ability and others...