Hi everyone. I have a homework assignment for my linguistics course that requires conducting a brief interview with a few people, preferably people whose native language is something other than English, but native English speakers are welcome as well. This assignment is due asap, so I would love any answers from anyone who wants to participate! Posting here would be easiest for me, but if you'd like to smail me to keep your answers private, that's cool too. :)

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1. Which languages do you speak? What is your native language? Sadly only English, which is also my native language.

Do you speak a dialect of (your native language), and if so, does it have a name? (Ex. I speak the Standard American English dialect.) I guess since I'm Canadian, we speak/spell more like UK English than US English.

Where, according to you, is the "best" version of (your native language) spoken? I don't think there is a 'best' version, tbh.

Do you speak English (or another language) with an accent? If so, what accent? Since I'm Canadian I guess I might have an accent to some people? I'm not from the East though (aka where the stereotypical Canadian accent hails from).

How would you define or differentiate among the words "dialect", "accent", and "language"? Are they interchangeable or do they mean different things? I think they're all different. An accent is the way in which a word is said. Someone can be speaking the same language and say words differently depending on where they're from. Language is the broadest term imo. Just basic communication of a specific type. Dialect I feel is kind of more region-specific, kind of in between an accent and a language. Or that's how I've always seen it. It's more what things mean in a certain area/to a certain people vs. how they're said.

1. English and Spanish I learned concurrently, so I consider both native. I primarily speak English.

2. I suspect I speak standard for both.

3. Frankly, neither is suitable for communication in my mentality. I prefer gestures to words.

4. I'm learning Russian, I find myself using that kind. But only with Russian.

5. Languages can be distinct from one another, dialects are between smaller groups, accents can be in any of the previous two. I've been asked about my accents, to which I answer "What accent?"

Is it due already? Or do you need more?

The more the merrier! :)

Which languages do you speak? What is your native language? My native language is Portuguese, and apart from that, I speak French, Spanish, and English. I also know the basics of Italian, Japanese, and German.

Do you speak a dialect of (your native language), and if so, does it have a name? (Ex. I speak the Standard American English dialect.) At least 8 that I can think of. Açoriano, Madeirense, Nortenho, Beirão, Alentejano (from Portugal), Carioca (from Brazil), Angolan Portuguese, and Mozambican Portuguese.

Where, according to you, is the "best" version of (your native language) spoken? I would say in the capital, Lisbon.

Do you speak English (or another language) with an accent? If so, what accent? Every abovementioned Portuguese dialect has its own accent. I can speak them all, but I usually stick with mine (I always thought I didn't have an accent at all, but people from other parts of the country tell me they can spot some Beirão on my speech - it makes sense, as it was where I grew up). Other than that, I used to impersonate/mimic different English accents, such as Scottish, Welsh, Australian, Southern US, and Indian, but I stopped doing those as they were sometimes seen as racism.

How would you define or differentiate among the words "dialect", "accent", and "language"? Are they interchangeable or do they mean different things? To me, dialect covers the speech of a specific small area, and both writing and speaking could be very different from the original language. Accent would be when the same words are not pronounced the same way by two different people (different phonetic transcription for each of them). A language covers everything, from the least spoken accent, all those uncommon dialects, the most popular ones, to the main language itself.

On a side note, accent is an interesting word in Portuguese. América is Portuguese for America. The E has got an 'acento' (accent), so that is where you must accentuate when pronouncing it. Each and every Portuguese speaking country has got their own 'sotaque' (accent).

Thank you all for your help! :)