Beiträge: 26
Sprache: English
CasperSGV (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 01:53:37
witeowl (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 02:28:29
I listen (or try to listen) to Radio Verda on occasion, and I find the different accents pleasant, but not detracting. Though I will admit that one speaker was particularly pleasant to listen to. I think (but can't be sure) he's italian.
Anyway: Work on it, but don't stress too much over it.
That's my two cents, at least.
RiotNrrd (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 02:42:00
CasperSGV (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 03:02:37
and im really not used to people responding respectfully, so its refreshing to get real answers for once
erinja (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 03:07:46
...having said that, after you've tried your best, if you still can't do it, no big deal. You'll hear many different accents in the world of Esperanto, and there have been many eminent English-speaking Esperantists who never mastered the Esperanto R. The poet Marjorie Boulton is the most famous example.
Miland (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 09:36:02
formiĉjo:There's a sample on the CD Verdaj Voĉoj 2.erinja: The poet Marjorie Boulton is the most famous example.Is there a place I can hear her speaking?
ceigered (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 11:09:22
CasperSGV:i had an interest in Esperanto for a little while, but since i started learning it the one question most frequently on my mind is how accents play into it. my problem is the "R", i can roll my tongue but it doesnt come natural so it sounds more forced, like a "D"I say don't fuss, just listen to how others and try and copy it like you would try and copy another English speakers accent for fun.
If you get a nice rolly R done (which you should naturally after just heaps of exposure to cultures where a rolled R is the normal R), you can be proud of that, otherwise, if you can only to an English styled R or whatever R you normally use, just think of it as a way of being an ambassador for your region

I think I should probably note that from my experience, you'll mostly hear these sorts of Rs:
- Rolled Rs on the tip of the tongue, or tapped Rs, normally from people all over the world.
- Softer R's from the tip of the tongue with either an L'ish or W'ish element, normally coming from English speakers or East Asia
- Guttural R's, probably coming from Europe.
- Soft R's from the tip of the tongue that almost feel like a roll, probably coming from Northern Europeans.
You can think of the spread of R's around Esperanto-land as being the result of people having similar accents in groups (Sprachbund, a group of languages that aren't necessarily related but share a common sound or feature). If you get really good at pointing out the differences, it can be fun - well, I'm terrible at it most of the time, and can really only notice a Chinese Esperanto accent some of the time, but it's a beautiful thing to hear the differences.
So, don't worry too much. Just do what you can, and remember if you can't speak 100% neutrally, you're just added to the beauty of an already beautiful selection of various accents in the one language - something very few languages have the pleasure of having these days no doubt!
sudanglo (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 11:43:39
beautiful selection of various accents in the one language - something very few languages have the pleasure of having these days no doubt!How can you feel that Ceige, as a native speaker of English? There a so many different accents in English, and many of them not at all pleasing. And I have yet to come across a charming national accent in Esperanto - can you name one?
Whilst older speakers of Esperanto (eg Marjorie) might be forgiven for having poor accents in Esperanto, there's no excuse nowadays not to speak it with an intermational accent.
ceigered (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 12:05:28
sudanglo:I honestly don't know what to say, other than you and I have very different tastes and ideas about these things!beautiful selection of various accents in the one language - something very few languages have the pleasure of having these days no doubt!How can you feel that Ceige, as a native speaker of English? There a so many different accents in English, and many of them not at all pleasing. And I have yet to come across a charming national accent in Esperanto - can you name one?
Whilst older speakers of Esperanto (eg Marjorie) might be forgiven for having poor accents in Esperanto, there's no excuse nowadays not to speak it with an intermational accent.
I LOVE Chinese accents in Esperanto with a passion. And some Korean accents too. Much better than the stale internationalised version I'm hearing more and more; well I must elaborate that it's not the international part, but more the lack of intonation I can hear on the odd occasion, as if one is speaking a processed and canned variety of the language. Unfortunately, that includes my own accent, I feel. Let's call it "auditorally-unimmersed/textbook learner accent", eh?

Anyway, for me, most accents in English are very pleasing, unless they are of the sterile nasily "redneck" type - every region has their own

(As for whether there's an excuse or not to speak "international", well, that is true to some degree, depending on the person et cetera et cetera, but at the same time, understanding does not always equate to having the exact same accent, and from an evolutionary perspective that could be dangerous as lack of variety reduces the need to cope with variety. But that's not important in this discussion.)
Rohan (Profil anzeigen) 8. November 2010 12:54:54