Dear Joshua
Why do I have an English accent when I speak French? I have lived here since I was 10 - am bilingual, speak as much (maybe a bit less) French than English in a day, have a pretty good ear (except I hit more false notes when I sing now than when I was 20 or 30) - I even thought of taking speech lessons to get rid of the accent a few year back (a bit like thinking of getting a tattoo). Why are some much better with accents and other snot, even while they're proficient in the language. Is it a question of hearing?
Kate
Dear Kate,
The trajectory of your life is formed when you are quite young. When you are learning to form words, and learning the nuances of the language, you create pathways. How you learn everything when you're young, including language, socialization, proper behavior, etc. is cemented at that time. It cannot be unlearned, no matter how hard you try. This is a very good thing because it sets you off on a trajectory that has the best possibility of allowing you to explore life as you intended prior to your birth.
In your youth, you formed ideas about your body type, your smile, your hair, the clothes you liked, behavioral patterns, and you adopted a lot of beliefs about it all. This is just the way the system is designed. You can look at any aspect of the traits and qualities you adopted as a child and you can change them if you really want to. However, a lot of them make you who you are and there's nothing wrong with that. Your accent sets you apart. People understand that there's something special about you. How many English girls grew up in another country learning to speak a new language? The way this influenced you has tremendous implications for the life you live now and you truly would not want it to be any different.
You are truly unique and your accent is unique as well. Celebrate your unique qualities and learn to embrace who you really are. It is good to be different. It's what makes you, you. Now that you know you are unique on purpose, you can learn to love every little quirky and unusual thing about yourself.
Joshua
