Is it normal to not be able to control my accent

I've noticed that when I speak out loud to myself or in my head, I always talk in a perfect American accent. But when I speak to other people, especially people who have American accents, my foreign accent is more noticeable. And I can feel that it happens automatically without being able to do anything about it. I think there is something psychological going on. I know I have some social anxiety which often does not allow me to express myself as naturally as I would like. Also I feel insecure around Americans and like I am not "American enough" to fit in with them so it makes me speak and sometimes act in strange ways. It's difficult to explain, like I am subconsciously trying to hold on to what makes me different and unique but also paranoid about alienating myself from others.

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89% Normal
Based on 9 votes (8 yes)
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Comments ( 5 )
  • RandomNumbers

    It's been long since i actually talked to someone in english, but here in brazil there are plenty of very distinct accents, and i talked in a daily basis to people who have many of then, plus my "english", "french" and "german" accent. When i want to use a specific accent, i can. But when i dont care about it, dude, its a mess

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  • flinteresting

    Nervousness always makes accents worse!

    The test: how do you speak when you're drunk? Way more natural-sounding, right?

    I've experienced this many a time. Public speaking in a second language, whoa! The accent goes into overdrive. And I've noticed this is true for a lot of other people in my language classes.

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  • Ellenna

    I think you should stop worrying about this, it really doesn't matter and it doesn't change what sort of person you are. You obviously have a great sense of humour and that's a lifesaver!

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  • Nickvey

    i think you might get deported soon, that what i think.

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    • but por favor I speak the good ingles señor. when the big rich man tell me to mow the lawn I understand what he says.

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