listen to my accent!

[Pravit]

I knew my accent was foreign, but according to this thread, at times it can be foreign to the point that people don't understand. I was curious enough to make some more recordings. What I'm curious about:

1) Can you understand what I'm saying?

2) Is the accent instantly recognizable as American? If not, where would you place the accent if you had to guess?

3) Noises, tones, or intonation wrong?

My voice tends to change between the sound of the 2nd recording and the 1st and 3rd ones. I haven't really picked a speaking voice I'm comfortable with yet. Comments appreciated!

spk1.mp3

spk2.mp3

spk3.mp3

[gato]

For the most you are speaking very well, with mostly proper tones.

(1) 长途电话 and 电话 were off, had to guess from context what you're saying.

(2) You are pronouncing the xue2 of wenxue2 （文学) like xie2

(3) Sounds good, almost like a northerner.

[againstwind]

Oh~~~

This way is wonderful.

1st:

对，那边儿好像可以打长途电话。我去给你母亲和我母亲打电话，告诉她们我们一路上都很顺利，请她们放心。

Just the pink words

a)pronouce 途 tu more clearly, it hears like du

b)you pronuonced 电 like ji or di(?)

c)顺利 shun4li4 pronounced like shun1li4

2nd:

我想学文学。可是，我妈妈说文学课将来不容易找工作，而且赚钱也少。

a)obviously,the sandhi of third tone 想，找，也少

想xiang half3

找xiang half3

也少ye2 shao3

on the sandhi of third tone, refer to this

http://www.chinese-forums.com/showpost.php?p=85022&postcount=3

b)agree with gato,"You are pronouncing the xue2 of wenxue2 （文学) like xie2"

3rd:

唉，你是这的常客，这个饭馆儿什么菜最拿手？

I don't think this one has any pronunciation problem.

Just have a short little stop after 饭馆儿, that will be better.

p.s.

Thanks to Quest,it should be 常客 chang2 ke4，i heard yours is like 乘客 cheng2 ke4.

2) Is the accent instantly recognizable as American? If not, where would you place the accent if you had to guess?

I don't know. Just foreign.

[Quest]

常客。

Try the one here: http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/12-horse-horse-tiger-tiger-slang-and-idioms441

[sherry_song]

the last one is the best

sounds like a northern

southerner always add a "啊"at the end of the question

for example,we can say:唉，你是这的常客，这个饭馆什么菜最拿手啊？

[Quest]

How much can you guys understand in this one also by Pravit:

http://www.chinese-forums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=675&d=1159557104

just so Pravit wouldn't say I lied.

[againstwind]

I had a try ...

a) 我暑假去上海。

/sh/ or /x/?

This one hears like xu3.It should be shu3.When make sound sh, make sure your lip is round.

B)他（她）什么时候来？

This one sounds best.(Are all of them of the same person? I feel 2nd is different from 1st and 3rd.)

3)你(也？)为什么不喜欢说话？

I don't know whether there should be 也 after 你, for 你 ni3 sounds like nie3 or ni2 ye3. i don't think there should be 也 after 你. If there should be, you'd better pronounce like ni2 ye3, not nie3.

Besides, i think the pronunciation of 1st and 3rd speaker is hurried (i don't know if this adjective is accurate), while the 2nd's sounds more natural.

[watergrass]

wow, great prounciation!!! Better than me!!! As a native Chinese born in Zhejiang,

I have a strong southern accent on mandarin.

[Pravit]

Thanks for all your responses! They pointed out lots of things I didn't notice myself.

a)obviously,the sandhi of third tone 想，找，也少

想xiang half3

找xiang half3

也少ye2 shao3

I don't quite understand? I know that most of the time I pronounce the 3rd tone as a flat low tone instead of a dip and then rise.

(Are all of them of the same person? I feel 2nd is different from 1st and 3rd.)

Yea, all of them are me. From your responses in this thread I guess my imitation of a northern accent is the best voice to use, although it's very unnatural for me(my voice would tend more towards the 1st and 3rd ones).

Besides, i think the pronunciation of 1st and 3rd speaker is hurried (i don't know if this adjective is accurate), while the 2nd's sounds more natural.

I try to speak quickly because the Chinese I've spoken to speak very quickly(in my opinion), though I guess their native intonation and pronunciation would make up for the extremely rapid speech. However, I have no problem with speaking more slowly

just so Pravit wouldn't say I lied.

Come on, I wouldn't say that!

[md1101]

not bad! the second one sounds quite nice (though xue does sound like xie). very good. id still think its a chinese person!!

i think in the first you spoke a little too fast. i may be wrong. chinese might like it. but dont make the mistake of trying to speak fast just to sound fluent. maybe you've noticed some english learners will do that with english in an attempt to sound fluent but you end up not understanding them. those people selling dvd's say d v d with a record pace.

[igotyofire]

do u really speak that fast? or was that just because you were reading, hmmz im going to need to post up a vid of myself on youtube speakin chinese as well,hehe. altho i dont think my level is anything to brag about, id like to post a video of me speaking but some here might find it offensive hehe

[HashiriKata]

id like to post a video of me speaking but some here might find it offensive hehe

Why? Because every other word you use is a swear word?

[igotyofire]

no just because im saying the stereotypes of my race of people is true hehe im African American.

[大汉之子民]

Your pronunciation is very good, and a Chinese could understand easily.

The second sounds like a Southern accent.

[Hero Doug]

I listened to them all, but I can't give any feedback since too much of it went over my head; I only got bit's and pieces of it.

It did sound good though, I wouldn't have been able to pick you out as a foreigner if I didn't know any better.