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I must admit that when I saw that article, I also thought hmmm....they do know that there's not really one British accent, right? British English is very multi-faceted, in terms of accents based on regional dialects. So like you, I'm inclined to believe they were referencing the posh English accent. Not even the London accent, because Cockney, especially broad Cockney to me is just not that attractive LOL

Hehe you make a valid point there, @JapanGuy......there's that misconception that anyone with a British accent has to be smart, intelligent. The world also seems to think that just because someone is British, they're posh....that makes me laugh. We can't ALL be posh and/or intelligent! The Americans especially love the British accent. You're right, accents are awesome

Yes, my family and friends tend to do this all the time. My friends and I used to do it more when we were younger. The sort of words we've coined from already existent words either in Setswana and English can generally be easily worked out. They're the types of words the meaning of which you can easily guess from the context. The idea is not to have some sort of secret coded language, but rathe to have fun with language. We don't sit there thinking up words, they just sort of happen.

I too have never regretted learning French and Italian, simply because I love both languages. I didn't learn them with hopes of getting anything out of it further than the ability to speak them and to also learn something about the people, the culture and a little history around each. I guess you could say that I learnt them and still have a huge interest in them purely for my own personal pleasure and enrichment. Over the years, I've also made Italian and French friends, so in the end it's not been for nothing. They all speak good English, but the little of their languages that I know, has come in handy in certain situations. So no regrets whatsoever

I agree with you @Miya....and your words tie in with what anna3101 said, with whom I also agree. I don't necessarily think it's stupid or bad, because the people who usually find themselves forced to learn a foreign language against their will are children. I believe the parents do so believing that they have their children's best interests at heart. But even still, I wouldn't force my kids to learn a foreign if they were clearly dead set against it. In my experience, I've never come across anyone who's learnt a foreign language for a bad or stupid reason. I'm not even sure I can define 'bad' and 'stupid' in this context. It's all relative, and what right would I have to say someone's reasons for learning a language are stupid or bad? What makes mine so noble or superior to the next person's? I guess the only instance I'd say it was for a bad reason would be where said person was only learning the language in order to infiltrate another country, with a view to harming innocent people e.g. in the case of terrorists. Other than that, I say each to their won!

I recently read an article that stated that British English emerged victorious in a survey conducted to find the 'most attractive' accent. I don't know about you, but I'm a sucker for accents, and among my favourite are posh English, posh American, Irish, Italian and Scottish. I must stress though, that I prefer neutral-posh accents over heavy/broad accents that can barely be understood. For instance, there are certain accents such as Scouse (Liverpool) and Geordie (Newcastle) in England that I'm not big on. Do you also have a thing for accents? Do you agree the British English accent is hot? If not, which accents work for you?

OMG @anna3101.....I LOVE your thread LOL We were actually discussing this just a few days ago, and really had fun with it. I have noticed it within myself, although I have a cousin who does seem to become a different person altogether. When I speak my native Setswana language, I'm a certain way, a little hard to explain,; while I feel more relaxed speaking English. My language tends to go around the houses and it's not always easy to express yourself exactly how you want to. I find English a lot less....cumbersome, I think is the word I'm looking for. Now for the curious case of my cousin, who's half English. She's very well spoken, as it stands, but my! we've noticed that when she speaks English her inner posh lady comes out with a vengeance LOL It's not just in her articulation, either. Suddenly you see her whole posture change and she's this English lady with poise. She doesn't believe it, but many of us within our family and even some of our friends have noticed it, so we can't all be wrong hehe We tease her about it all the time!

@hungary93....you're absolutely right! There really is no shame in having an accent influenced by your native language when you speak a learnt language. Accents exist everywhere, even within the native English speakers due to the existence of different regional dialects. Some of those people get made fun of too, partly because they have really broad accents. It doesn't make it right, and bowing down to that type of treatment by not even trying to adjust our own accents doesn't help matters. Nobody expect anybody to erase all evidence of their own accents. The idea is to try, so that whatever you articulate is comprehensible to those around you. I love accents LOL Italian, American, Irish, Scottish....I could go on!

I'm a bit like anna3101, I'm a tad lazy at times LOL. So for me it's finding the motivation to keep going, learning and improving my skills. I'm ok learning and picking up the language. Even if I can't exactly say it's a breeze, that for me is the easier part. The challenge comes when I have to exercise my new found skills in speaking. I seriously lack confidence in that area. I fare way better in my written skills, to the point where my French speaking friends have always expressed their shock at finding out how much better I write!

@Miya, you sound like me LOL Just out of interest, have you actually tried at all? I haven't really tried, but there are some languages in neighbouring countries that I know if I tried, I'd be able to learn, as some of them are quite similar. For instance, Tswana (spoken in South Africa) and Sesotho(spoken in Lesotho) come from the same family of languages as my native language, Setswana. They are very similar, and we can all understand each other. There are other languages that are not so similar but are easy enough to learn, but of whatever reason, I've just never learnt.

I wouldn't say I have ever got confused between languages, per se. I guess out of the languages I have dealings with, the most similar are Italian and French, but maybe because I learnt them at two different points of my life, I never did run the risk of confusing the two. Maybe it would have been totally different had I tried to learn them simultaneously. Then again, that would never happen because I much prefer to focus on just one foreign language to proper give it my all.

That's the good thing, Mameha...at least we don't have to worry about them too much. I think some of the people who prefer to use them are just show offs. Well, the ones in my country want to show those around them that they have a good grasp of the language. But I just feel it's weird LOL I mean, what's the point of it if you keep having to stop and explain the words?! Some people are sticklers for the old language, but they need to recognise that language evolves and changes all the time. My belief is that language has to communicate.

My language is very complex and even for us native speakers, it can prove difficult to understand. A lot of younger people prefer to communicate and be understood. But older people tend to use difficult words that many may not be familiar with. I find myself sometimes asking people to explain what certain words mean. Sadly, i can't remember those words for the simple reason that I don't use them in my day to day speech, they aren't part of my vocabulary. I much prefer to keep it nice and simple

I think this is a definite positive for you, Chris_A! I think what it says about your English language acquisition is that you've reached a level where you are very comfortable with your language skills. I wouldn't necessarily say it's odd; if anything, I'd actually say it's commendable. Way to go. I also think you're probably at native speaker level.

@rcdpink...It does make sense in a round about sort of way, if you know what I mean. I especially agree with the first part of your statement. I have to say, you sound a bit like me because I too pick up the basics pretty quickly, but then will stall when it comes to speaking because I'm not very confident like that. I think I've previously said on here that people in my country like to laugh at and wind up those who struggle with their language skills. So because this happened to me (and others too) at a younger age, it kind of gave me a complex LOL I know it's silly, but it's a fact!

I too agree with most people here. I doubt you can ever really say you're done learning a language. Of course, you get to the point where you're fluent and have the confidence to speak it; but I believe as with most things, you just carry on learning forever. The minute we stop learning, is the time we start slipping! At least that's the case in my experience. I mean, I've been speaking my native language all my life, and English for nearly as long; but I'm always learning new things about both languages, and it's something I really rather enjoy

I don't check every single day, but I do stop by from time to time to see if it's been confirmed what exactly this language is. It's surprising that nobody here's definitively said what it is! The curiosity is killing me LOL At a guess, I'd say It must then be a very old or rare language if nobody can say for sure what it is.

Purely from an aesthetic stand point, I personally LOVE it It's very eye catching and 'fresh', plus it's still very easy to navigate. I find that each time Linguaholic gives the site a facelift, it's always an improvement on the last. So for me, it just keeps getting better!

I feel for you, @hungary93....Clearly, the teaching style was just too dated for you! It must also have been quite cumbersome because as effective as it may have been back then, teaching styles have since been refined and improved to make the learning process easier. It's never too late, though; maybe you could try again on your own? I'm going to be doing the same with my French and Italian, taking full advantage of the free online resources. Such is the beauty of modern day technology these days

Ok, never mind @AExAVF.....I totally understand because I know for a fact it happens. The same thing happened to me here once, and the person with whom I was in the middle of a discussion nearly bit my head off because he was of the impression that I'd made out I said what he said. I think there may have been a technical glitch or something IDK There was just no reasoning with him at all. Sometimes I wonder where all the aggression and animosity comes from, it's just strange.

I've come across situations where people in England have told me someone speaks bad English, yet when I've actually spoken to them that couldn't have been further from the truth. I noticed that some of the people whose English was considered bad had particularly broad accents, but very good English. How do you gauge good language skills? How big of a role does someone's accent play in you deciding on the quality of their language skills? Do you think it's a fair assessment to make?

Speaking to yourself, @ AExAVF?! Hehe that's a new one that I may have to give a go! After all, there's nobody there to hear my mistakes and see my embarrassment! But jokes aside, the people around you sound very much like people in my country! People have this tendency to laugh at people making mistakes, and all through school if someone spoke broken English, they got laughed at and ridiculed. I think it's very damaging because people then withdraw and get a complex, hindering their progress!

@anna3101 you took the words right out of my mouth! It's amazing just how much your thought processes mirror mine! It gives me hope for humanity and the human race at large. I love people and like to see them all get along. But Alas! some people are just not happy unless there's discord among the races. It's a shame, but as long as there are others out there who think like us, there's hope yet

That's the thing, @Chris_A! I just feel that as long as they're trying, that should be enough. I just don't see the point of putting people under pressure at all. The ironic thing is that some of the people who do this don't make much of an effort themselves. I know they're locals and probably feel that even though English is the official language of Botswana, they shouldn't have to learn it if they don't want to, which is fair enough. But I still feel we could all do with being a little more understanding and accommodating, and understand that everyone learns at different paces. I love to teach and help people with both English and Setswana, whenever they approach me.

Sometimes you just have to do what feels right to you, as opposed to the prescribed or even popular method. I'm of the same opinion as you @anna3101, taking breaks can actually reenergise you and spur you on. I always feel like I'm raring to go when I've taken a break. -and coming across something I learnt in the past and still remember, boosts my confidence no end