Why are some people better at reproducing the accent of a second language than others?

Some people, when learning a new language, seem to have a particular aptitude for reproducing its sounds. It appears to be very easy for them to have correct pronunciation and not have a foreign accent. On the other hand, other people, even though they manage to speak the language correctly, retain a strong accent. A striking example is the American journalist Alan Friedman, often a guest on Italian TV shows. Friedman speaks excellent Italian while retaining a strong American accent.

What scientific reasons lay behind the ability to accurately reproduce the sounds of a second language?

Erich Jarvis, a professor at Rockefeller University who studies the neurobiology of vocal learning, has identified them.

Jarvis revisited 19th-century studies on birdsong by the physiologist specializing in phonation, Peter Müller, and compared them with his own studies on human phonation. In fact, some brain circuits related to language abilities in both birds and humans are similar.

According to Peter Müller, young birds would learn the song taught by their tutors very well. They would also have the ability to learn the song of another species, practically another language. Müller called this an innate predisposition to learning. However, those birds are not able to reproduce the sounds of another species as well as their own because (and this was the discovery) the natural song of those young birds has genetic origins. Jarvis studied the brains of birds and found many similarities in this mechanism to the human brain.

Therefore, there is something that influences our communication even before the culture we are born into. If an American is able to speak Italian with little or no accent, it is likely due in part to their genetic heritage.

Is it easier to learn different languages without an accent when you’re young?

Jarvis explains that the entire brain tends to solidify at a certain point in life. This is a necessary critical phase because it makes us more stable. Neural circuits strengthen what we learned as children so that we can use it for the rest of our lives. However, the good news is that we humans, unlike other animals, remain highly plastic in our brain functions related to vocalization. These are controlled by a gene called srGAP2, which keeps our vocal circuit and other brain regions in a more immature state throughout our lives, compared to other animals.

So, it seems that we retain the ability to learn a new pronunciation even in adulthood.

If a child learns to speak multiple languages, will it be easier for them to learn a new language as an adult?

We are born with a set of innate sounds that can potentially produce phonemes. Then, with the experiences we have in the society and culture in which we grow up, the range narrows: we select the sounds we need. When we are exposed to another language that uses those phonemes in combinations we are not used to, it is like starting from scratch. However, for a child who has studied more than one language, it will be easier as an adult to reactivate the innate sounds and use them in a second language.

The reasons behind the ability to have a great accent in a second language are therefore related to genetics, culture, and the environment in which one is born

The good news is that even a person who does not have any genes for an Italian accent and has not lived in Italian-speaking environments can learn a new accent. Thanks to the innate sound repertoire, the association between the phonemes of their own language and those similar to Italian, and especially due to the exceptional brain plasticity that we humans possess.

If speaking a language well means having a good ability to understand and transfer information with other people, how important is the accent for this purpose?

Alan Friedman demonstrates that it’s not really that important even for achieving excellent professional credibility. He is a respected journalist with a well-established career in Italy, despite his strong American accent.

How important is it for you to speak a foreign language with the same accent as native speakers?