Hi, Can any-one explain what is MTI, what are the characteristic traits of MTI and can MTI be corrected by training. Thanks
From India, Noida
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From India, Noida
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Please may we know what you do and why you have raised this query? I am sure you will have come across people whose mother tongue is different from the language they are speaking, and you could say so when you hear them. For example, I met an Englishman in a lift in the UK. He spoke to me in Hindi, and when I responded, he said "Your mother tongue is not Hindi." I asked him how he knew. He said, "From your accent."
Yes, it can be corrected with a caveat. When we are angry and not conscious of what we are doing, we may revert to our original accent. Please see SCHOLAR'S MOTHER TONGUE – AKBAR AND BIRBAL STORIES | Entertaining Stories | Kids Stories – ITSAPERFECTSTORY
From United Kingdom
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1639Yes, it can be corrected with a caveat. When we are angry and not conscious of what we are doing, we may revert to our original accent. Please see SCHOLAR'S MOTHER TONGUE – AKBAR AND BIRBAL STORIES | Entertaining Stories | Kids Stories – ITSAPERFECTSTORY
From United Kingdom
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MTI: The three dimensions of accent are articulation, pronunciation, and intonation. Articulation is how we produce the speech sounds - vowels and consonants. For example, a person says "joo" instead of "Zoo" or "Another" instead of "Unother" (phonetically).
Pronunciation is how we stress the right part of the word (syllable). A person may say "CommunicaTION" instead of "CommuniCAtion."
Intonation is the music of the language, the ups and downs in a sentence.
MTI (Mother Tongue Influence) could be any aspect of articulation, pronunciation, or intonation that is reflected from the mother tongue in speech. Listen to this speaker (<link no longer exists - removed>) and you shall notice the MTI in the speaker's accent.
Some typical characteristics of MTI would be:
1) Incorrect Articulation: Either the wrong consonant sound or vowel sound. Elongation or clipping of vowel sounds.
2) Wrong Pronunciation: Stressing on the wrong syllable.
3) Incorrect Intonation: Not using the correct word stress and rise and fall of pitch and tone while speaking.
Yes, MTI can be worked upon with training and practice.
From India, Delhi
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Pronunciation is how we stress the right part of the word (syllable). A person may say "CommunicaTION" instead of "CommuniCAtion."
Intonation is the music of the language, the ups and downs in a sentence.
MTI (Mother Tongue Influence) could be any aspect of articulation, pronunciation, or intonation that is reflected from the mother tongue in speech. Listen to this speaker (<link no longer exists - removed>) and you shall notice the MTI in the speaker's accent.
Some typical characteristics of MTI would be:
1) Incorrect Articulation: Either the wrong consonant sound or vowel sound. Elongation or clipping of vowel sounds.
2) Wrong Pronunciation: Stressing on the wrong syllable.
3) Incorrect Intonation: Not using the correct word stress and rise and fall of pitch and tone while speaking.
Yes, MTI can be worked upon with training and practice.
From India, Delhi
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Dear friend,
Mr. Atul has well explained the important aspects of accent, and Mr. Simhan's citation of the anecdote of Birbal further explains how indelible MTI is. Another citation, from a different angle, is from a Tamil movie "Naan Avanillai," directed by K. Balachander, casting Gemini Ganesan as an impostor. Upon his arrest, the police try to find out his true identity and nativity as he cheated different ladies in their own languages using his multilingual skill. They decide to give him a shock treatment, and one officer suddenly slaps him on his cheek. He responds by crying "mushe," holding his cheek in pain. The interrogators, in their utter confusion, refer to dictionaries of various languages and discover the word to be Chinese, further complicating their confusion. Therefore, if we are conscious of the language we speak, MTI can be significantly reduced. To the maximum extent, it can be corrected by continuous training and close observation of native speakers.
From India, Salem
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Mr. Atul has well explained the important aspects of accent, and Mr. Simhan's citation of the anecdote of Birbal further explains how indelible MTI is. Another citation, from a different angle, is from a Tamil movie "Naan Avanillai," directed by K. Balachander, casting Gemini Ganesan as an impostor. Upon his arrest, the police try to find out his true identity and nativity as he cheated different ladies in their own languages using his multilingual skill. They decide to give him a shock treatment, and one officer suddenly slaps him on his cheek. He responds by crying "mushe," holding his cheek in pain. The interrogators, in their utter confusion, refer to dictionaries of various languages and discover the word to be Chinese, further complicating their confusion. Therefore, if we are conscious of the language we speak, MTI can be significantly reduced. To the maximum extent, it can be corrected by continuous training and close observation of native speakers.
From India, Salem
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Hi,
I really like the explanation given by the member learningnovo. I would like to add the following.
It takes a lot of years to speak in the way Englishmen speak. I won't say it is the influence of mother tongue. It is because of the way you are taught and learn English from kindergarten to whatever you learned in universities. Unfortunately, none of our universities include a dictionary in their syllabus, but all well-known universities do. Now we have an easy way. Download an English-English dictionary on your Android mobile for free from the Google Play Store. The moment you click a word, it will pronounce the word. Try it, repeat it again and again. You can speak international English (RP), or that is the way English is to be spoken.
The other influence you will have is from most of the people whom you talk to daily. They may not even like the idea of improving their pronunciation.
You may also try other applications like idioms and phrases, proverbs, etc., all of which are free of cost.
Warm Regards,
UNNI
From India, Mumbai
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I really like the explanation given by the member learningnovo. I would like to add the following.
It takes a lot of years to speak in the way Englishmen speak. I won't say it is the influence of mother tongue. It is because of the way you are taught and learn English from kindergarten to whatever you learned in universities. Unfortunately, none of our universities include a dictionary in their syllabus, but all well-known universities do. Now we have an easy way. Download an English-English dictionary on your Android mobile for free from the Google Play Store. The moment you click a word, it will pronounce the word. Try it, repeat it again and again. You can speak international English (RP), or that is the way English is to be spoken.
The other influence you will have is from most of the people whom you talk to daily. They may not even like the idea of improving their pronunciation.
You may also try other applications like idioms and phrases, proverbs, etc., all of which are free of cost.
Warm Regards,
UNNI
From India, Mumbai
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MTI - Mother Tongue Influence.
It refers to a specific influence observed in the English language in spoken form. It occurs in the spoken accent of an individual while speaking the English language, owing to the spoken practice of one's mother tongue. It can be eliminated only by practicing the right pronunciation of the English language. For example, North Indians have the accent of pronouncing "SH" as "IS". This is known as Mother Tongue Influence. While pronouncing "S," it is pronounced as "J". For example, the word "position" is pronounced as "bojision".
It can be corrected by understanding the right pronunciation with the CD available in the dictionary known as "CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY-CD-ROM USER'S GUIDE." The price is approximately Rs. 400. Of course, the CD provides both American and British accents, but you may choose the neutral accent, i.e., our Indian accent, which eliminates MTI.
Best wishes
From India, Pune
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It refers to a specific influence observed in the English language in spoken form. It occurs in the spoken accent of an individual while speaking the English language, owing to the spoken practice of one's mother tongue. It can be eliminated only by practicing the right pronunciation of the English language. For example, North Indians have the accent of pronouncing "SH" as "IS". This is known as Mother Tongue Influence. While pronouncing "S," it is pronounced as "J". For example, the word "position" is pronounced as "bojision".
It can be corrected by understanding the right pronunciation with the CD available in the dictionary known as "CAMBRIDGE ENGLISH PRONOUNCING DICTIONARY-CD-ROM USER'S GUIDE." The price is approximately Rs. 400. Of course, the CD provides both American and British accents, but you may choose the neutral accent, i.e., our Indian accent, which eliminates MTI.
Best wishes
From India, Pune
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Though in the Indian context, we think of MTI in relation to spoken English, the MTI can be found in the use of any second language. For example, please read and digest the content at Michael Swan | The influence of the mother tongue on second language vocabulary acquisition and use.
Our children were born in the UK; though we spoke to them in both Tamil (our mother tongue) and Kannada (the regional language of my birthplace), they can speak those languages with an "English" accent. Incidentally, my wife and I can't read or write in Tamil. Our Tamil is labeled as "Kannadiga Tamil" by Tamilians from Tamil Nadu.
So, we may have to coin a new word "Primary Language Influence," as our children's mother tongue is not English, but that's their primary language.
From United Kingdom
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Our children were born in the UK; though we spoke to them in both Tamil (our mother tongue) and Kannada (the regional language of my birthplace), they can speak those languages with an "English" accent. Incidentally, my wife and I can't read or write in Tamil. Our Tamil is labeled as "Kannadiga Tamil" by Tamilians from Tamil Nadu.
So, we may have to coin a new word "Primary Language Influence," as our children's mother tongue is not English, but that's their primary language.
From United Kingdom
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MTI - Mother Tongue Influence.
...but you may choose the neutral accent, i.e., our Indian accent which eliminates MTI. Good answers to your question of reducing MTI. However, I definitely don't think the 'Indian accent' is Neutral! All of us, irrespective of our country or state of origin, have some sort of an accent. One can at best pronounce many words the way native speakers of English do. Again, this depends on whether one is aping the Brits or Americans. This is mainly done to facilitate communication, especially if one's working in a BPO Industry.
However, it's not only completely taxing but also ridiculous to make it our life's mission to perfectly imitate their accent. At best, people sound like good mimics, at worst completely fake and obnoxious. I personally love a natural Indian accent. This doesn't have the guttural articulation like some native speakers do. So be proud of your natural accent and not try and kill it completely.
From India, Mysore
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...but you may choose the neutral accent, i.e., our Indian accent which eliminates MTI. Good answers to your question of reducing MTI. However, I definitely don't think the 'Indian accent' is Neutral! All of us, irrespective of our country or state of origin, have some sort of an accent. One can at best pronounce many words the way native speakers of English do. Again, this depends on whether one is aping the Brits or Americans. This is mainly done to facilitate communication, especially if one's working in a BPO Industry.
However, it's not only completely taxing but also ridiculous to make it our life's mission to perfectly imitate their accent. At best, people sound like good mimics, at worst completely fake and obnoxious. I personally love a natural Indian accent. This doesn't have the guttural articulation like some native speakers do. So be proud of your natural accent and not try and kill it completely.
From India, Mysore
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Ann Cook, a master accent trainer, says that no accent is good or bad; they are just different. Some trainers don't prefer the term 'neutral accent' as they say that it is redundant. Instead, they prefer to use 'Global Accent'.
'Acquiring a Global accent' is a process that depends on a person's job requirements or personal needs (e.g., someone shifting to another country). Acquiring an accent is different from imitating an accent.
From India, Delhi
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'Acquiring a Global accent' is a process that depends on a person's job requirements or personal needs (e.g., someone shifting to another country). Acquiring an accent is different from imitating an accent.
From India, Delhi
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It's not just MTI that causes problems; regional variations do as well. For example, please see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Region...nts_of_English.
From United Kingdom
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From United Kingdom
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Hi,
This has become the most popular discussion, and I thought of adding some more to it. I recently developed a PPT for a spoken English class and conducted a crash course as well. Most of the people in India wish to speak English fluently. People always believe they are right and will find fault with others. A person from North India will say the South Indian accent is bad. English is English. If learned properly, one will have an international accent. Whether we require it or not depends on our personal interest. However, never learn an accent from a person but acquire it from a spoken dictionary.
I chose to learn English properly, and I do have an international accent. This helped me get noticed in international and national forums. Language is imitation. Birds and animals communicate, and they learn it by imitating. Human beings also learn in that way. That's why we refer to our own language as the mother tongue. We learned it from our mother.
The more proficient we are, the more successful we would be. One can set their own standard. This is truly personal, and I respect all the views shared by all the members. In Asia, Indians have a strong command of English compared to the rest of Asians. Our English proficiency has helped us compete with China in many areas. Hollywood movies aired through various channels are influencing us if we watch them regularly. I feel that is good.
English was a barbarous language when our ancestors spoke Sanskrit. However, English has developed well over centuries. Internationally, people aspire to speak this language. There are also economic factors at play in this. What I believe is that the globe has become very small because of technologies and the ease of access to different countries. This provides an increased scope to explore opportunities internationally.
When we can access an advanced learners' dictionary on our mobile phones, and if we use it even as a pastime, it works wonders. English is the language people fall in love with. Learning it then becomes a liking, not a burden.
There are more than 50,000 idioms and phrases in English, and knowing those commonly used idioms will sharpen our language. Additionally, there are many proverbs that can resolve even everlasting conflicts. I believe language is not just to communicate; it's also to impress the other person and influence them. However, each person is different, and they will have their view. Nothing is wrong or right; it's all about our response to anything.
From India, Mumbai
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This has become the most popular discussion, and I thought of adding some more to it. I recently developed a PPT for a spoken English class and conducted a crash course as well. Most of the people in India wish to speak English fluently. People always believe they are right and will find fault with others. A person from North India will say the South Indian accent is bad. English is English. If learned properly, one will have an international accent. Whether we require it or not depends on our personal interest. However, never learn an accent from a person but acquire it from a spoken dictionary.
I chose to learn English properly, and I do have an international accent. This helped me get noticed in international and national forums. Language is imitation. Birds and animals communicate, and they learn it by imitating. Human beings also learn in that way. That's why we refer to our own language as the mother tongue. We learned it from our mother.
The more proficient we are, the more successful we would be. One can set their own standard. This is truly personal, and I respect all the views shared by all the members. In Asia, Indians have a strong command of English compared to the rest of Asians. Our English proficiency has helped us compete with China in many areas. Hollywood movies aired through various channels are influencing us if we watch them regularly. I feel that is good.
English was a barbarous language when our ancestors spoke Sanskrit. However, English has developed well over centuries. Internationally, people aspire to speak this language. There are also economic factors at play in this. What I believe is that the globe has become very small because of technologies and the ease of access to different countries. This provides an increased scope to explore opportunities internationally.
When we can access an advanced learners' dictionary on our mobile phones, and if we use it even as a pastime, it works wonders. English is the language people fall in love with. Learning it then becomes a liking, not a burden.
There are more than 50,000 idioms and phrases in English, and knowing those commonly used idioms will sharpen our language. Additionally, there are many proverbs that can resolve even everlasting conflicts. I believe language is not just to communicate; it's also to impress the other person and influence them. However, each person is different, and they will have their view. Nothing is wrong or right; it's all about our response to anything.
From India, Mumbai
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MTI can be diluted to a large extent with proper training & practise.As far as I know , "Global Accent" can be gradually acquired after reducing the MTI effects, very few Asian people "have" this....
From India, Bangalore
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From India, Bangalore
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Well, MTI is a major drawback that can be a reason for rejection in interviews in corporate or MNC firms. However, it's really very hard to get rid of this problem, but firm determination and proper training will surely help in this case.
From India, Lucknow
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From India, Lucknow
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MTI can certainly be reduced by the above-mentioned thoughts. There are distinct variants, as mentioned, in the way a person from North India communicates versus a person from South India. Again, the people from the Eastern parts of India tend to elongate their vowel sounds and tend to use intonation more. This can be seen in stark contrast to the flatter tones of, say, someone from the South.
When we train Corporates, we first work on their existing MTI to make them more comprehensible to us, then take them to the next level, for want of a better term, 'Global English.'
Imitation is certainly one way to learn, as mentioned by the above user. I'd like to point out, though, that unless someone is raised in a particular country or has resided there for many years, or is especially gifted with languages, it's possible to distinguish that the particular person is not a native speaker. I've heard this often times from many people, 'His/her English is so good. He sounds almost British but isn't.' The same can be applied to American accents. The simple reason is this... No matter how much we learn and imitate and reduce our MTI, there are certain nuances that will distinguish a native speaker from a person who learns it out of passion or requirement.
This is not to disappoint anyone, but rather to own it. One can reduce MTI, one can sound different, global, international (insert any adjective). However, one cannot sound completely like a pure Brit or American, unless, again, we belong to the above-mentioned categories.
From India, Mysore
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When we train Corporates, we first work on their existing MTI to make them more comprehensible to us, then take them to the next level, for want of a better term, 'Global English.'
Imitation is certainly one way to learn, as mentioned by the above user. I'd like to point out, though, that unless someone is raised in a particular country or has resided there for many years, or is especially gifted with languages, it's possible to distinguish that the particular person is not a native speaker. I've heard this often times from many people, 'His/her English is so good. He sounds almost British but isn't.' The same can be applied to American accents. The simple reason is this... No matter how much we learn and imitate and reduce our MTI, there are certain nuances that will distinguish a native speaker from a person who learns it out of passion or requirement.
This is not to disappoint anyone, but rather to own it. One can reduce MTI, one can sound different, global, international (insert any adjective). However, one cannot sound completely like a pure Brit or American, unless, again, we belong to the above-mentioned categories.
From India, Mysore
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The purpose of reducing MTI or acquiring an accent is not to sound British or American. It is a process to reach a stage where others can understand us without much effort and where we can also comprehend others.
Having said that, I would also like to share from my own experience (working as a Trainer in a BPO) that there are some people I know who reached a stage where even native Americans were not able to tell that those individuals were from India. I remember handling an escalated call once, and the moment I greeted the customer (an American lady), she said, "Thank God, I am talking to someone from my country."
Accent is like a number line. The negative side depicts the Mother Tongue Influence (MTI), and the positive side depicts the degree of an acquired accent. The zero denotes the Global Accent.
Communication has various aspects, and accent is just one of them. We should focus on speaking clearly and fluently. Acquiring an accent is a personal choice and also depends on our professional requirements.
From India, Delhi
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Having said that, I would also like to share from my own experience (working as a Trainer in a BPO) that there are some people I know who reached a stage where even native Americans were not able to tell that those individuals were from India. I remember handling an escalated call once, and the moment I greeted the customer (an American lady), she said, "Thank God, I am talking to someone from my country."
Accent is like a number line. The negative side depicts the Mother Tongue Influence (MTI), and the positive side depicts the degree of an acquired accent. The zero denotes the Global Accent.
Communication has various aspects, and accent is just one of them. We should focus on speaking clearly and fluently. Acquiring an accent is a personal choice and also depends on our professional requirements.
From India, Delhi
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First of all, I want to express that this has become a slightly contentious issue. It's not that I'm particularly argumentative by nature, but I certainly like to get to the root of things.
[QUOTE=learningnovo] The purpose of reducing MTI or acquiring an accent is not to sound Brit or American. It is a process to acquire a stage where others can understand us without much effort, and we can also comprehend others.
Thank you for bringing this out. In effect, we reduce MTI, acquire an accent so that others can comprehend us. Who are the others that are being mentioned here? We're not trying to sound Brit or American, but hey, we want to be understood by them. This is exactly my point!
When one deals with MNC's, we know we have to sound comprehensible to our Clients. It makes perfect business sense. However, when you're trying to teach a person to communicate effectively in English, which parameters are highlighted??
[QUOTE=learningnovo] Accent is like a number line. The negative side depicts the MTI, and the positive side depicts the degree of acquired accent. The zero denotes the Global Accent.
I like your utilization of math as symbolization here. I have a question though. Why is the negative side of 'accent' (number line) the MTI? I know from experience that certain idiosyncrasies with natural MTI are actually found to be quite adorable among corporate clients and non-natives. By nullifying our natural individual accents, does anyone think they're losing anything?
I personally subscribe to your closing comments. Thank you so much.
Kudos on being appreciated and mistaken to be a native speaker. Being a Trainer is no joke, and it's indeed rewarding to know where you stand. When I indulge in Corporate Training, I try to be inclusive of the trainee's natural styles of communication. Let's just say it adds more flavor or flavour? :)
From India, Mysore
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[QUOTE=learningnovo] The purpose of reducing MTI or acquiring an accent is not to sound Brit or American. It is a process to acquire a stage where others can understand us without much effort, and we can also comprehend others.
Thank you for bringing this out. In effect, we reduce MTI, acquire an accent so that others can comprehend us. Who are the others that are being mentioned here? We're not trying to sound Brit or American, but hey, we want to be understood by them. This is exactly my point!
When one deals with MNC's, we know we have to sound comprehensible to our Clients. It makes perfect business sense. However, when you're trying to teach a person to communicate effectively in English, which parameters are highlighted??
[QUOTE=learningnovo] Accent is like a number line. The negative side depicts the MTI, and the positive side depicts the degree of acquired accent. The zero denotes the Global Accent.
I like your utilization of math as symbolization here. I have a question though. Why is the negative side of 'accent' (number line) the MTI? I know from experience that certain idiosyncrasies with natural MTI are actually found to be quite adorable among corporate clients and non-natives. By nullifying our natural individual accents, does anyone think they're losing anything?
I personally subscribe to your closing comments. Thank you so much.
Kudos on being appreciated and mistaken to be a native speaker. Being a Trainer is no joke, and it's indeed rewarding to know where you stand. When I indulge in Corporate Training, I try to be inclusive of the trainee's natural styles of communication. Let's just say it adds more flavor or flavour? :)
From India, Mysore
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Dear Friends,
Very interesting topic;
One who is born and brought up in their respective country or places usually can speak their language. In the world, there are several countries, languages, and civilizations. However, English is the Universal Language, of course. When speaking in our native language with someone, we can easily express our feelings compared to using another language. In India, there are several languages and State provinces, each with its linguistic background. Despite the variety of languages, Hindi (National Language) unites them. When communicating with someone who knows our mother tongue, we are more comfortable expressing ourselves freely. Therefore, Mother Tongue Influence (MTI) always plays a significant role in expressing our views.
My own experience - while working on the ROLLS-ROYCE project, there was an English person (Name forgotten, possibly Mr. Dodson) who could speak a little Hindi and our local language, Telugu. He could easily communicate with taxi drivers, auto drivers, and rickshaw pullers wherever he went. Everyone was amazed by how quickly he learned the local languages. This is just one example of how MTI influences our lives.
Regards,
PBS KUMAR
From India, Kakinada
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Very interesting topic;
One who is born and brought up in their respective country or places usually can speak their language. In the world, there are several countries, languages, and civilizations. However, English is the Universal Language, of course. When speaking in our native language with someone, we can easily express our feelings compared to using another language. In India, there are several languages and State provinces, each with its linguistic background. Despite the variety of languages, Hindi (National Language) unites them. When communicating with someone who knows our mother tongue, we are more comfortable expressing ourselves freely. Therefore, Mother Tongue Influence (MTI) always plays a significant role in expressing our views.
My own experience - while working on the ROLLS-ROYCE project, there was an English person (Name forgotten, possibly Mr. Dodson) who could speak a little Hindi and our local language, Telugu. He could easily communicate with taxi drivers, auto drivers, and rickshaw pullers wherever he went. Everyone was amazed by how quickly he learned the local languages. This is just one example of how MTI influences our lives.
Regards,
PBS KUMAR
From India, Kakinada
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