English Accents

A detailed explanation of why non-native English speakers have accents, a combination of their native language norms & English weirdness →

https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2021/10/16/why-you-have-an-accent-in-a-foreign-language

I love English spoken with an accent. Accents are the best, and they make me even more appreciate how hard those folks worked to learn our crazy melting pot of a language.

Some good info nuggets in this article I didn’t know about:

• sp-, st- and other consonant combinations are forbidden at the beginning of Spanish words (which is crazy, as it’s called Spain in English!)
• All French words are stressed on the final syllable, a rule typically explained in textbooks. (that’s why the French sound so French!)