"My parents immigrated to America and man can you tell. It's been frustrating not most, but a lot of times growing up. It was unnecessary and

...There HAVE been opportunities and avenues of success lost to them...

because of this. Be it from their lack of confidence, failure to be understood as intelligent, or because they wanted to be around others that were as not-fluent as them, as migrants tend to do (incidentally). Deep down, I always wanted fluent parents. It was always a small looming desire."

-John, Intermediate learner

"I'm a first generation immigrant who grew up in Canada. My parents have a thick accent and

...I've seen how much it hurts them in their ability to have deep, meaningful conversations...

I want to avoid that. If I'm going to learn Japanese, I want to sound authentic, make new friends, and have meaningful relationships with native speakers."

-Skyler, Beginner

"My parents are immigrants and

...it does get embarrassing when they speak...

so having a good accent would make me more confident in Japanese."

-Jodi, Just started learning

"People in Japan have great difficulty picking up what I'm saying...

One time when I was speaking basic Japanese to a local, he couldn't understand when I said となりに. He then thought about it and went ahhh... you mean となりに with the に sounding slightly different."

-Liam, Conversationally fluent

"I experienced

...Japanese natives ignore me or just flat out say they didn't understand me...

when I spoke despite only saying sentences I thought I knew. I now see in retrospect it was likely my intonation or pitch accent which was off."

-Andrew, Advanced

"I lived in Japan for a year in college. I was able to hold basic conversations. But even doing something as simple as asking where something was in the store, or other topics I was comfortable in,

...Japanese people would immediately start trying to speak English...

If I had a better accent right out of the gates, most of them wouldn't have tried to nervously speak English because they thought I couldn't understand them."

-Luca, Advanced

"Having lived with several non native speakers I am acutely aware of the different ways I perceive them. While some may be technically more accurate speakers of the language I have found that

...I have formed a much closer bond with the (roommate) that has the most natural accent...

because they are the easiest to converse with and it feels like less effort is needed to communicate."

-Micha, Conversationally Fluent

"I've talked to people from many places around the globe in my non-native language English, and I've experienced first hand may times how favourable it is to have an accent that natives can parse as quickly as any other native speaker. You don't need to sound like you literally grew up in the place, but somewhere along the way of aiming at native pronunciation, one will reach a point where there is no friction on the ear of a native speaker, which is key. Conversely, I've also experienced first hand

...its difficult to form a genuine relationship to someone with a very bad accent...

that creates friction in comprehension, despite the person probably has very fluent comprehension themselves. I care about JP media and forming real, genuine relationships to people - NOT being language exchange partners. Therefore high fluency and a good accent are a must."

-Allie, Advanced 

"English isn't my first language, for a long time though, I thought I sounded pretty native. But after talking to some of my American friends that I got to know from playing online games, I was told that I have "a foreign accent" but "its OK since they still understand me".

...They accepted me because they got used to me, not because my accent was good...

That's just something that has bothered me for quite a bit. And I want to prevent that from happening in Japanese."

-Kole, Intermediate learner

"My native language is Serbian and I've met some foreign people who have learned it. One of them is a Brazilian guy who speaks PERFECT Serbian. Not only in terms of grammar, but his accent is almost 100 percent native.

...When I talk to him I feel like we're basically equal. He is one of us...

I don't have to use simple words or speak slower than usual. I feel like whatever I say, he will understand. 

However, there is also a British girl who has lived in Serbia for 30 years so shes very familiar with the culture but her accent is pretty poor. It just feels different when you talk to her.

...She's fluent but it feels like you're talking to a foreigner...

I want to be perceived by the Japanese people same way the Brazilian guy is perceived by us. I will never become Japanese (and neither do I want to), but speaking good Japanese is the closest I can get to that if you know what I mean. It's what you have to do to be taken seriously. And also it's just kind of feels great when you know you nailed that pitch! In my opinion, not studying pitch is just lazy. As you said in one of your videos, if you could push a button to instantly sound better, you'd push it. Everybody would. So rather I'd like to ask, what is the reason you would NOT want to study pitch accent?"

-Ben, Conversationally fluent

"Originally I'm from Argentina and my first language is Spanish, but I've become very fluent in English, to the point it's better than my Spanish, I guess I've become hyper-aware of very small nuances in pronunciation and accent and I try not to show it but it's extremely annoying to me when people have a strong accent in either language, like to the point

...(a strong accent) puts me in a bad mood for no reason...

I feel like if I can't speak very close to the way a native does I'm being annoying to others so I really want to become good at Japanese pronunciation."

-Kalani, Advanced

Personally I wouldn't be able to establish a deep connection with someone if they couldn't speak one of the languages I speak with a proper accent,

...it feels as if there's a barrier between us, like he isn't "my people"...

so pitch-accent is a top priority for me. 

-Zahir, Intermediate learner

In my early days of learning, it was born out of my insecurity of not fitting in.

...I felt more at home talking to other foreigners than the natives around me...

 I wanted to be accepted. Aside from that, it's just so interesting.

-Dream, Intermediate learner

"I used to have a slight Indian accent while speaking English.

...My accent would throw off people even if I said grammatically correct sentences...

They'd ask me to repeat my sentence. When I visited Korea in 2017 and used my beginner Korean skills to ask for directions, some people replied in English or asked me to repeat. I was really embarrassed back then. So I really believe that learning the perfect or nearly perfect accent saves you from embarrassing situations. It would also elevate you a from the "gaijin" tag attached to every foreigner. I want to be understood by everyone."

-Alfred, Intermediate learner

I come from a bilingual background and I was the kid that had to go through the "can you say xx in Spanish?" And whenever they imitated it

...I was irritated at how they weren't able to say it "properly"...

I've grown up since and know that it's not easy at first but I want to avoid anyone feeling that way as much as possible"

-Regina, Advanced

"From experience, having a bad accent can make you less understandable. For example, my foreign teacher at Uni can be really hard to understand, just because of their accent. But I don't think an accent is a bad thing, as it can be a value, an aesthetic sign of your individuality. On the contrary, the accent of some other teacher contributes to their charisma. But for it to be a value

...(an accent) must be subtle, not something that makes makes you less understandable..."

-Kenji, Advanced 

 I am half Thai and fluent in Thai. Thai is a tonal language.

...It is very uncomfortable and weird when foreigners talk and miss tones, even if I understand everything...

I imagine that the Japanese are thinking the same, they just don't express it."

-Lana, Intermediate learner

"I'm currently trying to correct my pronunciation in English after almost two decades of bad habits.

...Having a thick accent has always held me back from speaking in front of others...

so I don't want to make the same experience in Japanese. Also, imitating accents is fun."

-Hayes, Advanced

"I am not a native English speaker, but I've spoken it pretty much my entire life. Since I've moved to America, about 10 years now, I've realized how much accent matters. Not trying to brag or anything, but I certainly had to work on it cause

...I got made fun of a lot...

and I've also noticed how Americans tend to mock other accents (another source of motivation). Getting complimented on how "native like" I sound certainly feels good that I've achieved some level of competency (for lack of a better term)."

-Patrick, Just started learning

"Well, it just gives a better impression doesn't it!(?) Regardless of what language or even whatever you do, do you want to do it well or not? I know

...when foreigners come to my country(Sweden) and speak poorly, it's usually not the nicest to listen to...

and you do wonder how much they understand and so on. I like music and play and sing, and I have an ear for mimicking people and accents, so I do have some talent in this regard, but because of you Matt I became aware of pitch accent in Japanese and that alone will help me a lot, so thank you!"

-Vincent, Intermediate learner

"I want to be understood. Japanese is actually my third language (or attempt at getting one) and my second is Vietnamese. That being said, in my entire life of speaking Vietnamese so far,

...very few people outside my family can understand me due to my horrible accent...

Since I've given up on it until I attain "fluency" in Japanese; My Vietnamese is now approaching zero."

-Kim, Advanced

"Being an Indian I grew up trilingual, English, Marathi and Hindi. In all the three languages I have corrected many people who don't have a good accent (mostly in my mind). There is this notion of 'pure speech' in Marathi, where we can tell from what background the person is from. Its a little hard to explain in few words but in short;

...I subconsciously correlate accent to the language ability...

So that's why I feel that having a good accent is important to become "fluent"."

-Saisha, Advanced

"In my opinion, I feel as though having a very refined accent makes for better and more real connections and interactions with native speakers. As someone with Mexican heritage,

...whenever I hear people speak with super thick accents I can't help but cringe...

and even though they are speaking Spanish there is an automatic barrier that is created where you are unable to treat them like you would a native speaker. As a result, I feel as though that same mentality applies in Japanese the same way to a degree."

-Daniel, Advanced

"I want to talk with natives and would be honoring for me if I could communicate well without sound strange to them. When a non-native speaks Portuguese with me, for example sometimes

...it "hurt" my ears the way they pronounced some words...

Being able to speak in a more fluid and beautiful way is definitely a concern for me (I don't expect others to do that, but it's something that concerns me)."

-Santiago, Advanced

 "I am German and

...I absolutely hate it if someone speaks with that particular accent, It's very hard to endure.

Another example: I have studied Romanian and whenever I talk to a Romanian, they immediately know I'm from Germany. My point is that some accents might be harder to listen to and can disrupt an otherwise interesting conversation. Learn a language is a lot of work nevertheless, so we should pay attention to every detail (or as many as possible - accent, kana, Kanji, cultural aspects etc.)"

-Leon, Intermediate learner

"I know what foreigners sound like when speaking German to me.

...The overall appearance of that person just changes no matter how well they speak...

German. I can imagine I do sound like a German when speaking Japanese and I need to avoid that as much as possible if I want to be taken serious in Japanese."

-Lilly, Intermediate learner

"I just want to fit in and not be spoken to like a baby...

I've encountered rude Japanese. Once, a Japanese guy was walking past me with his girlfriend and commented to her about the large backpack I had on. (the backpack had all my kids stuff in it like diapers and such) . Obviously he used the word 'Gaijin' in the statement, so that caught my attention, but I completely understood everything he said. So, I stared at him. The he said to his girlfriend, in Japanese obviously, that I only understood the word "gaijin" and that I wouldn't do anything cause he can just call the cops, and he started laughing. While instances like that don't happen often (I've experienced more than a few), it would great if I could respond back in perfect Japanese. in those situations."

-Oliver, Intermediate learner

"I find heavy accents to be annoying.

...I don't like having to struggle to understand what people are saying...

As someone who grew up speaking multiple languages since childhood, I could always tell when someone wasn't a native speaker of one of the languages that I knew. For example, I hated hearing American actors pretending to speak Russian in movies. It ruined the immersion for me because I always knew those people weren't really Russian."

-Alexander, Advanced

"I taught English while in Japan and

...when a student would switch from poor English to Japanese I felt a dramatic shift in their personality... 

Since then I always felt that I didn't want my accent to impede the way I come across to people."

-Charles, Advanced

"Whenever I talk to someone with a thick foreign accent, I always get a lot more nervous, creating an awkward situation...

because I think I won't be able to understand something they say. I don't want to create this same situation whenever I talk to others in Japanese. I would be content with having a way above average foreign accent, it doesn't necessarily have to be near native. Enough so that native Japanese speakers don't have to be nervous when I speak.

-Harry, Intermediate learner

"It might sound rude, but it's true. Having a poor accent makes you hard to understand. I know now better than ever that it takes a lot of effort to learn a second language, and I have immense respect for foreigners that have learned English, but if they haven't put effort into their accent, it shows and it can be a real barrier sometimes. I've had professors before that

...I had to drop out of their class because their accent made them too hard to understand...

The worse your accent is, the more mental power it takes for native speakers to interpret what you say. I don't just want to be understood, I want to be understood effortlessly. Again, I have immense respect for foreigners that have taken on the immensely difficult task of becoming fluent in a language as weird and complex as English, but I refuse to let myself be as difficult to understand as those past professors I've had. The point of this whole endeavor is to demolish the language barrier. Demolish it. Not chisel a little hole in it that I can't really communicate through. Demolish it so hard that you can't even tell there was a wall there in the first place. I refuse to half ass this."

-Jack, Advanced

"When I speak to someone and they have an accent my mind immediately goes into "oh maybe they don't understand everything I'm saying" mode. Even though you can technically communicate, It still turns from an actual conversation to "a conversation with a language learner/foreigner". I speak near perfect English and I'm incredibly happy that I do. Every day I'm keenly aware of the experiences I can have due to my English ability. A lot of people I know are technically fluent in Engs well.

...But that extra level that goes way beyond just being fluent is what actually gives you most of the benefits of speaking a language."

-Fred, Advanced

"I've had more than plenty experiences in my life where I cannot easily understand particular non-native English speakers due to thick accents, or if they are in my life regularly (if they're a coworker or something)

...it took me actual months to get used to how my coworker says things...

This isn't all ESL speakers by any means but it's definitely a portion of them. I don't want to be that in Japanese as it creates a considerable social barrier. I admit, I was very smitten with the idea of sounding perfectly like a native when reading AJATT originally as a young adult too. I still am smitten with it on some level, but am more realistic these days that it won't come quite for free as I thought it would in the early days."

-Olivia, Intermediate learner

"I've heard good and bad accents and good ones are just way more pleasant to hear, also i work in foodservice and have to deal with a lot of people whose accent in English isn't the best and

...it makes communication difficult despite them being conversationally fluent...

I'd prefer to not have Japanese people have to deal with that difficulty when i am speaking to them."

-Josh, Advanced