typical German/Austrian accent

[ibex]

Hi!

When a non-native is speaking English, it is often quite obvious where he/she comes from and what his/her native language is.
Yesterday I wondered... are there any common mistakes or characteristics concerning English pronunciation of German or Austrian learners?

Cheers,
ibex

[Keswick]

You can normally hear it in the way they pronounce the TH, the R and the S, as well as the T and the K. All sounds harder.
The intonation is normally a give away, too.

Germans or Austrians who speak English normally sound rougher, i.e. not as smooth as English people do.

[ibex]

Thanks a lot for your answer!

What do you mean by intonation - the correct stress in single words or the "melody" of the whole sentence?

ibex

[Keswick]

Hi again,

I mean the melody of the whole sentence.

[ibex]

Thanks
I can understand that, because it's not easy to practise - especially for pupils, who are still mostly taught by sheet-and-paper methods. The only solution - if one doesn't have the possibility to speak to natives - probably is listening to them on CDs etc.

Where the .. has the thanks-button gone

[Keswick]

The THANKS button is not available in all sub-forums, but thanks for wanting to thank me!