Motivation and accent

Why do you want to learn a language?

I think this both a great and horrible question. It is a great one because in answering the why of language study it can reveal motivations and can provide an ultimately intrinsic motivation.  However the reality is that motivation is not a binary or absolute thing.  Motivation waxes and wanes and so does your relationship with a language.

Also I think that while intrinsic motivation is good (I want to learn the language because I want to learn it), but speaking a language is about connecting with people and so I believe it is necessary to have this balance. It is like one can get better at basketball by playing pickup games but at a certain level it is necessary to practice, to run drills, to shoot free throws in the off season, that sort of active solitary skill building.  

So language, as one of the fundamental, quintessential social activities of humans cannot be mastered alone, but on the other hand communicating in a language does not require perfect grammar, does not require flawless pronunciation.

Do you worry about having the right accent?

Let's be clear everyone speaks with an accent. English does not have clear rules about how to pronounce a word or which syllable to emphasize. We learn to talk in English by listening to those around us and then we go to school to learn what symbols correspond to which sounds.  In essence an accent is a part of one's history, sometimes big and sometimes small.  I say that because time and time again the way we perceive people is so contextual. For example, I look "European", what ever that means. So many times I have given lost Americans directions in English and then been thanked and complimented for my excellent English skills. This also cuts the other way, often time Portuguese and other Europeans that I run into on my travels think I am European, maybe not from their town but from the continent. So I am happy to let people know that I am new to their language and talking too fast will only lead to confusion.  Of course if I was on the receiving end of bigotry, large or small, I would likely take more effort to mimic a middle class Lisbon accent.

Furthermore let’s keep in mind that while my fellow Americans may fret at not having the right accent (notice I didn’t say perfect) in a foreign language but think nothing of not adopting a local accent when traveling to an English speaking country.

So if your accent is good enough, it is good enough.