When you have been doing something for so long and still, have you ever wondered why you always keep going?

I have been studying English for more than 10 years now.

My one and only reason for studying English is simply because I like the English sounds.

They are light. They are soft. They are flowing and so forth.

I often say to my friends that "pronunciation is not the same as accent."

From the way English is taught at school and attitudes towards perfection in a society, some people tend to mistake pronunciation for accent.

They stress out and then feel discouraged.

Pronunciation (n.) - the way in which a language or a particular word or sound is pronounced

Accent (n.) - a way of pronouncing the words of a language that shows which country, area or social class a person comes from; how well somebody pronounces a particular language

[Source : Oxford Learner's dictionaries]

In a nutshell, pronunciation is the way a word is pronunced in a language whilst accent is a way a word is pronunced or used in a specific area.

One can speak perfect English with correct pronunciation and have an accent, or even a thick accent, of which certainly should not be made fun.

Getting rid off pairing English sounds with equivalent sounds in your native language and focusing on acquiring the correct pronunciation help you improve not only speaking skill but also listening skill.

You have a high probability to make yourself understood in almost any situations and, with that said, build up your confidence.

Accent is a personal preference and it is extra.

By the time I started learning English on my own; ignoring school materials for exam preparation and stuff, I didn't even know what accent they had taught me all those years, let alone having one, since foreign teachers changed every single year.

Now that I can confidently say I can speak English, my accent is all over the place and I am fine with that.

I am not saying that I speak perfect English. I still make mistakes A LOT every time I speak.

I just could not care less with what accent I have outside my practice sessions and what other people think about me as long as I can deliver my message well.

It is not like I study English for a serious matter anyway.

Even if I did, there will still be more pros than cons for just spitting it out.

I learn language for fun, so, it should be fun.

If it is not (overall) fun, I am not doing it. 😎

I might sometime pause during the journey but I never stop because the answer to that "why" is persuasive enough to motivate me.

It may not be enough for YOU, but it is for ME.

Thus, study for yourself, not for the sake of others.

Native speakers make mistakes all the time in their mother tongue and they have been doing it far longer than we do.

Most of them don't even criticise broken language but, instead, purely try to understand and appreciate it.

They are so used to it, I guess.

🤔

May your success be fuelled by your dedication and strong soul.

:)

___________

#flynn 💙

#flynnonJournaly

#flynnatory

13/07/23

06.59 a.m.