Thread: I'm a Lost Russian

I was born in Russia, Adopted and came to America. And I learned English First..and never learned Russian [because the people who adopted me know no Russian].

So I dont have an Accent. and I want to speak with a Russian Accent
What are common characteristics of a Russian Accent?
I can do a bad French Accent because i did French for 3 years.
Help Please
Спасибо

I don't know why would anyone want to develop an accent, but if you want to do it, the easy way is probably to listen to Russian people trying to speak English and try to imitate them.
The hard way would be to move to Russia, start learning Russian, master the Russian pronunciation, and speak nothing but Russian for five years or so. I can guarantee you'll get an accent without even trying to

Originally Posted by translationsnmru

I don't know why would anyone want to develop an accent, but if you want to do it, the easy way is probably to listen to Russian people trying to speak English and try to imitate them.
The hard way would be to move to Russia, start learning Russian, master the Russian pronunciation, and speak nothing but Russian for five years or so. I can guarantee you'll get an accent without even trying to

Thanks. I want to move back to Russia When i am older, but I am not sure if it will happen
I want to move to St. Petersburg or Moscow...or back to my Birthplace of Inozemtsevo

I saw your other posts about your background and interest in the Russian language. The 1990s was a tough decade in Russia and probably you've had a more stable upbringing in the United States than you would have had if you had remained at the orphanage. Try to see the good points. As for English, well it's a language that billions around the world struggle very hard to master. Do not dismiss it..

Frankly, putting on a "fake" Russian accent when speaking English strikes me as a bad idea for many reasons. People who met you for the first time would feel like you were trying to decieve them, since your English is, in fact, native. My advice to you would be not to do this.

Why don't you start learning Russian instead? That way when you are older you can visit the town you were born in and investigate your background, or even pop in at the orphanage! Many people here would be happy to help you with leaning about Russian language and culture. Although you could not be counted as a native speaker (anymore), you might find that some memories of Russian are hidden at the back of your head, and that you can progress faster than other learners.

I got the impression that perhaps you have some emotional issues relating to the fact that you were adopted. The best place to discuss this is a forum for adoptees - I think there are some great adoption forums in "Yahoo Groups" for instance. People on this forum won't quite know what to say since they are not adopted themselves, and since the focus here is Russian language and culture. You are not alone and there might be others there who are also adopted from Russia.

Do the following.

1. Get a brain surgery to remove all cells containing language data.
2. Get yourself a russian nanny or girlfriend (depending on your degree of maturity by that time) and avoid any contact with non-russians (particulary, with english speaking people).
3. Start over learning to speak again. (If the conditions 1 & 2 are met this can be russian only.)
4. After a few years, learn english a your second language.

Sorry, mother nature does not allow any short cut here.

Originally Posted by ingberlin

Do the following.

1. Get a brain surgery to remove all cells containing language data.
2. Get yourself a russian nanny or girlfriend (depending on your degree of maturity by that time) and avoid any contact with non-russians (particulary, with english speaking people).
3. Start over learning to speak again. (If the conditions 1 & 2 are met this can be russian only.)
4. After a few years, learn english a your second language.

Sorry, mother nature does not allow any short cut here.

LOL i wish that was possible o.O

Originally Posted by Johanna

I saw your other posts about your background and interest in the Russian language. The 1990s was a tough decade in Russia and probably you've had a more stable upbringing in the United States than you would have had if you had remained at the orphanage. Try to see the good points. As for English, well it's a language that billions around the world struggle very hard to master. Do not dismiss it..

Frankly, putting on a "fake" Russian accent when speaking English strikes me as a bad idea for many reasons. People who met you for the first time would feel like you were trying to decieve them, since your English is, in fact, native. My advice to you would be not to do this.

Why don't you start learning Russian instead? That way when you are older you can visit the town you were born in and investigate your background, or even pop in at the orphanage! Many people here would be happy to help you with leaning about Russian language and culture. Although you could not be counted as a native speaker (anymore), you might find that some memories of Russian are hidden at the back of your head, and that you can progress faster than other learners.

I got the impression that perhaps you have some emotional issues relating to the fact that you were adopted. The best place to discuss this is a forum for adoptees - I think there are some great adoption forums in "Yahoo Groups" for instance. People on this forum won't quite know what to say since they are not adopted themselves, and since the focus here is Russian language and culture. You are not alone and there might be others there who are also adopted from Russia.

Ugh i guess i could jsut learn Russian. i know some of the cyrillic alphabet and some basic words :\