percautio
percautio t1_j4hcxm3 wrote
Reply to comment by virtutesromanae in What it means to “know” a language by thenousman
In general I think this is true, it largely comes down to learning styles, effort you put in, and willingness to practice even if you're afraid of making a mistake.
One notable exception - children are born able to discern differences between many sounds, even the most subtly different. We lose the ability to make any of those discernments that don't help us in whatever language(s) we are exposed to in the first few years of life. I don't think it's possible to relearn those, which can present an obstacle in mastering another language that needs them, particularly in terms of pronunciation.
percautio t1_j4hkgou wrote
Reply to comment by virtutesromanae in What it means to “know” a language by thenousman
Good point, I don't think I'll ever forget the time a French man told me my pronunciation of "thank you very much" sounded more like "thank you, beautiful neck" 🥲