<![CDATA[Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great?]]>Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? They tend to be great at grammar and have broad vocabulary, but over the years I've come across a surprising number of actual, professional linguists whose Japanese pronunciation is just not very good.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/topic/d953357d-956b-4f2d-8fb0-014f8caee2bb/is-it-just-me-or-are-there-a-lot-of-linguists-whose-pronunciation-of-a-second-language-isn-t-greatRSS for NodeWed, 08 Apr 2026 13:20:27 GMTWed, 11 Mar 2026 09:54:50 GMT60<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:41:41 GMT]]>@RachelThornSub I was married to a classicist for 20 years, so had some exposure to linguistics that way. I think many linguists are all about the grammar, vocabulary, history, function, etc. of language, and personal fluency in a given language (some linguists know several) is sometimes not very high on the list of priorities.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/guyjantic/statuses/116210119541760403https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://infosec.exchange/users/guyjantic/statuses/116210119541760403Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:41:41 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:38:56 GMT]]>@RachelThornSub oh. I thought their job was to understand specific aspects very well, and that the ones that claim to have the theory of everything are crooks

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://polyglot.city/users/zombiecide/statuses/116210108777331011https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://polyglot.city/users/zombiecide/statuses/116210108777331011Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:38:56 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:35:33 GMT]]>@RachelThornSub I assumed they made you study the phonetic alphabet, and that way people learnt how words sound. How can you translate wordplay then?
Maybe they're out there thinking bomb rhymes with tomb!

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/Kathee_HDS/statuses/116210095471594915https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://tech.lgbt/users/Kathee_HDS/statuses/116210095471594915Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:35:33 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:28:20 GMT]]>@zombiecide I'm talking about linguists, who job is understanding all aspects of language.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://famichiki.jp/users/RachelThornSub/statuses/116210067084685968https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://famichiki.jp/users/RachelThornSub/statuses/116210067084685968Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:28:20 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:20:59 GMT]]>@RachelThornSub why though? why can't we be competent bi- or multilinguals?

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://polyglot.city/users/zombiecide/statuses/116210038200674922https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://polyglot.city/users/zombiecide/statuses/116210038200674922Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:20:59 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:10:23 GMT]]>@zombiecide Well, since pronunciation is a huge aspect of language, my feeling is that anyone learning a second language should strive to pronounce it the way it's pronounced by natives.

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://famichiki.jp/users/RachelThornSub/statuses/116209996516132964https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://famichiki.jp/users/RachelThornSub/statuses/116209996516132964Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:10:23 GMT<![CDATA[Reply to Is it just me, or are there a lot of linguists whose pronunciation of a second language isn't great? on Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:01:50 GMT]]>@RachelThornSub quite possible

but then, is it great pronunciation a reasonable goal for them? idk, I don't want to sound obviously German in my other languages, but I also don't want to sound like a native speaker when I can't behave like a native speaker

]]>https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://polyglot.city/users/zombiecide/statuses/116209962856627042https://board.circlewithadot.net/post/https://polyglot.city/users/zombiecide/statuses/116209962856627042Wed, 11 Mar 2026 10:01:50 GMT