“non-native intonation,”
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1. Accents: The Sounds Themselves An accent is mainly about the raw sounds you make. Think of consonants and vowels: How do you pronounce “th” (does it become d or t?). Whether your r is rolled, tapped, or soft. If “ship” and “sheep” blur into the same sound. These are the ingredients — such as saltRead more
1. Accents: The Sounds Themselves
An accent is mainly about the raw sounds you make. Think of consonants and vowels:
These are the ingredients — such as salt, sugar, or spices — in a dish. Even if you use the right words, the flavor changes if the pronunciation is slightly different.
2. Intonation: The Music of Speech
Intonation is the melody — how your voice rises, falls, and stresses certain words. English, for example, is a stress-timed language. That means we stretch important words and rush through smaller ones:
Both are understandable, but the second one sounds “foreign” because the music isn’t what native ears expect.
3. Why Intonation Feels So Noticeable
Here’s the tricky part: people often notice intonation faster than accent. Why?
4. Accent vs. Intonation in Daily Life
Imagine two learners:
5. Why People Pick Up On It So Quickly
The Bottom Line
Accents are about sounds. Intonation is about music. And because music carries emotion and identity, people notice non-native intonation almost instantly — sometimes even more than accent.
But here’s the comforting truth: sounding “foreign” isn’t a weakness. It’s a mark of being bilingual or multilingual, something most native speakers can’t claim. If your intonation feels different, it just means your voice carries the rhythm of more than one word, which is a kind of richness, not a flaw.
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