How to Make Fun of Accents
In the first lesson, I mentioned that there are three relevant acoustic features to speech:
- Rhythm
- Phonemes (consonants and vowels)
- Intonation
By “relevant acoustic features,” I mean the features of the sound that determine meaning. In other words, change one of these things and you might get a whole new meaning. But what about intonation?
If we keep the rhythm and phonemes the same for a phrase, a change in intonation will usually result in a change in meaning.
Take the phrase “Great, we’re having steak for dinner again.” I can seem to be express excitement. But in a different tone, this seems sarcastic and suggestive of the exact opposite meaning.
Intonation and “Funny Accents”
Most language programs focus only on vocabulary and grammar. They completely overlook the question of intonation. As a result, most language learners keep their native intonation when speaking a foreign language.
But Intonation is the most characteristic element of an accent.
That’s why when people make fun of accents. They tend to exaggerate the intonation more than anything else. Canadian stand up comic Russel Peters is well known for his comic imitations of accents.
If you are a native English speaker, you probably think these sorts of intonations in English are funny. But consider this:
If foreigners sound funny speaking English because of their intonation, then YOU must sound funny speaking a foreign language with your intonation!
I know many adults are embarrassed about speaking with a foreign intonation. Our personalities are closely linked to the intonation patterns of our voice. So completely changing them requires stepping out of our comfort zone.
You might feel silly sounding like someone else, but know that you will look even sillier if you don’t.
Intonation Matters More Than You Think
I don’t want to give the impression that intonation is just about “not sounding silly.” Mastering the intonation is a crucial step to achieving the fluency you want.
In English, intonation affects meaning in more subtle ways. But in other languages, intonation can have a more direct effect.
Below, there are two Mandarin Phrases with identical phonemes but different intonations.
- The first one (草泥马) is the name of a fictional llama-like animal.
- The second one (肏你妈) means “F@*k your mother!” and it is one of the most offensive things you could ever say to someone in Mandarin (The 草泥马 or “Grass Mud Horse” is actually a metaphor for censorship in China – learn more here).
草泥马
cǎo ní mǎ
肏你妈!
cào nǐ mā
Now it’s time to figure out how to learn a foreign intonation.
- For rhythm, we know that you just need to listen for stresses and silences.
- For phonemes, we must determine whether it is a vowel or consonant.
- Unlike rhythm and phonemes, there’s no precise way to transcribe or describe intonation.
The only way to learn the intonation of a foreign language is to listen close and mimic.
Oh yeah- I haven’t used that word “mimic” yet in this course have I? Let me explain to you why I call my language approach The Mimic Method..