Assimilation of multiple languages from an early age

[Kazimiera]

I'm interested in learning a little more about the acquistion of languages.

I find accents quite fascinating and how they came to be.

I am sometimes a little disappointed that I do not have an accent in any of the languages I speak.

I speak three languages and have done so from birth. Therefore I speak three languages without an accent. I can think in all three, dream in all three, switch between them easily. I do not remember not being able to understand any of them either.

What I do remember though, is finding words that sound similar. For example the name Claire is pronounced similar to Klee (clover in German). I remember wondering why someone would be called Clover. As I grew older I was the differences became apparent.

What I have found strange though, is when I try to say a word in a foreign language, I do so with a German accent and not an English or Afrikaans one. I wonder why this is? Why would the accent automatically becomes German even though the other two languages feature equally strongly.

There is only one sound in Afrikaans which I struggle with and that is the rolled-r. German has a gutteral r and that takes over the Afrikaans r. But people usually think I am from Malmesbury where they use the gutteral r.

How did I assimilate three languages simultaneously, never mixing them up and not producing an accent?

[derLowe]

I'm interested in learning a little more about the acquistion of languages.

I find accents quite fascinating and how they came to be.

I am sometimes a little disappointed that I do not have an accent in any of the languages I speak.

I speak three languages and have done so from birth. Therefore I speak three languages without an accent. I can think in all three, dream in all three, switch between them easily. I do not remember not being able to understand any of them either.

What I do remember though, is finding words that sound similar. For example the name Claire is pronounced similar to Klee (clover in German). I remember wondering why someone would be called Clover. As I grew older I was the differences became apparent.

What I have found strange though, is when I try to say a word in a foreign language, I do so with a German accent and not an English or Afrikaans one. I wonder why this is? Why would the accent automatically becomes German even though the other two languages feature equally strongly.

There is only one sound in Afrikaans which I struggle with and that is the rolled-r. German has a gutteral r and that takes over the Afrikaans r. But people usually think I am from Malmesbury where they use the gutteral r.

How did I assimilate three languages simultaneously, never mixing them up and not producing an accent?

That is good.

For me it is different, over the phone when I speak:

English every one assumes that I am German or Deutch.
Serbo-Croatia every one asumes that I am their enemy. (So I given up on speaking it.)
Afrikaans every ones assumes that I am English.


Although when I was in England for a week I did manage to do a decent high class accent by the end of my stay.

[Comte Arnau]

I'm interested in learning a little more about the acquistion of languages.

I find accents quite fascinating and how they came to be.

I am sometimes a little disappointed that I do not have an accent in any of the languages I speak.

I speak three languages and have done so from birth. Therefore I speak three languages without an accent. I can think in all three, dream in all three, switch between them easily. I do not remember not being able to understand any of them either.

What I do remember though, is finding words that sound similar. For example the name Claire is pronounced similar to Klee (clover in German). I remember wondering why someone would be called Clover. As I grew older I was the differences became apparent.

What I have found strange though, is when I try to say a word in a foreign language, I do so with a German accent and not an English or Afrikaans one. I wonder why this is? Why would the accent automatically becomes German even though the other two languages feature equally strongly.

There is only one sound in Afrikaans which I struggle with and that is the rolled-r. German has a gutteral r and that takes over the Afrikaans r. But people usually think I am from Malmesbury where they use the gutteral r.

How did I assimilate three languages simultaneously, never mixing them up and not producing an accent?


All humans have an accent. I guess you mean that your accent is very close to the one regarded as the standard one in each of these languages.

From what you say, I'd infer that your most internalized language is German, even if your command of the other two is just as good.