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HOW SOON WILL I BEGIN TO SOUND IGBO?

While there are people who to go various lenghts not to ‘sound Igbotic’, there are many more who earnestly desire to sound like Igbo native speakers. These learners express this desire as one of their learning goals, and for some, they doubt their progress when they still sound ‘foreign’ after hours of Igbo classes. 

Learning Igbo as a second language is a process. This usually begins with learning words and grammar rules and beginning to put sentences together. Proficiency increases with time, as well as the ability to read and write as well as a native speaker. Progress is being made, and you are confident, but then you speak, and your accent gives you away.

To sound like a narive speaker of any language, one has to pay attention to Tones, Phonemes, Nuances, Emphasis, Stress, Pitch, Inflection, etc. It is doable, but requires practices. Other factors that influence accent include how long you have been learning and practising speaking, your level of immersion, etc. If you are learning as an adult, remember that your ears and brain have been used to your first language, so it will need time and effort to adapt. 

I think that sounding like a native speaker should not be your topmost goal as a learner. I recommend that you rather aim for the ability to communicate clearly. Ensure your speech is clear and audible. Aim for grammatically correct sentences. Don’t let the fact that you do not sound like a native speaker be a source of discouragement in your learning journey. 

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