Jiwon wrote:Voytek wrote:Hashimi wrote:In addition to what [tarvos] said about the need to work more on your grammar in this stage, it should be noted that there is one subtle aspect of second language acquisition that often escape both formal instruction and self-study: prosody and intonation. Advanced learners usually learn vocabulary and grammar well and carefully, but seldom pronunciation to a sufficient degree. Many of them even think it is unnecessary to practice pronunciation on the false belief that they will never succeed anyway, particularly not with the prosody (rhythm and intonation of speech), which is the most important thing to learn if you want to get a near-native, or at least a listener-friendly, pronunciation with a good communicative function.
And there are some "polyglots" who mainly focus on this element to fool everybody they're at a near-native level.
I wouldn't go far as to say that having perfect prosody and intonation is an attempt to fool anyone. It is one element that does stand out the most to people who are not familiar with foreign languages, and some people may be upset that those who only work on pronunciation get the most spotlight. But I think any accomplishment in this area is something to be applauded, rather than scorned at, especially given how many people fail to change their prosody and intonation.
That's why I said some "polyglots". And I do not scorn anyone who makes a weird impression some parrots do.
The first step for improving your pronunciation is to be aware of the foreign sounds in the target language and learning how to distinguish them if necessary. Toying with minimal pairs is really helpful here (unless there aren't any, then I suppose only a tutor and mimicking may help). Then it's only about learning how to produce those foreign sounds, keep listening (and practicing production if you really feel you need it). I've improved my English pronunciation massively just by being aware of the all native sounds and reading while listening to the audio at the same time. I never cared about my prosody which is obviously non native, but I've been mistaken for a native English speaker (by some natives too) and many people from the UK have told me my pronunciation was very clear and nice to listen to.
Therefore I consider a strong emphasize on learning pronunciation/prosody as something I could call "purism" or "parroting" if it lacks strong foundation and a deep understanding and mastery of the language. So you're right making yourself effortless to listen to is very important (we want people to listen to us eagerly) but trying to go beyond it is an individual matter and sometimes it's just vanity and a childish need to impress other people which may be harmful to other language learners who are struggling with their first foreign language acquisition.
When I was at a level C1 my pronunciation was bad though I could get by and I've seen/listened to a lot of non native English speakers who were advanced students but listening to them was just... unpleasant. I really advocate improving pronunciation to the level which makes listening to you at least painless.