Dear Mari
Actually, I was not trying to correct you at all!
I did not see anything messed up in what you posted!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mari
Quote:
Originally Posted by waves
Ok. Um, No. She most likely speaks English as mother tongue. She probably also speaks Afrikaans and may be fully bilingual, but that would not be the reason for the "accented English" - it is only a regional difference.... like a Boston accent.
I say this based on the fact you said she sounded sort-of Australian to you at first.  S. African English speech does have similar sounds to Australian speech... they are different, but much closer to each other than they are to ANY accent in the US!)
~ waves ~ |
Sorry,
I messed that up.
Thanks Waves for correcting me.
M |
It was this specific comment by Butterfly, in particular the last part, that elicited my response to her:
Quote:
Originally Posted by butterfly11
maybe she speaks more than English, maybe that's why she has an accent?
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It is possible this person speaks English as a second language, but the fact she sounds "sort of Australian" suggests otherwise to me. Simply asking about other languages
is fine.
I was more trying to say, from a social point of view, that in conversation, it I think it best not to "link" the perceived accent to speaking other languages. I would not even ask if English is her first language, but instead let the other person offer that information if they feel like it.
I say this because these things might not always go over well. Some people are not sensitive about such things, but others are. In the latter cases, it may not be obvious - a person might give a polite/good-natured reply even if they feel put off.
~ waves ~