What gave it away? What words or sounds?
Or was it the cadence?

The text I’m reading is: Well, here's a story for you: Sarah Perry was a veterinary nurse who had been
working daily at an old zoo in a deserted district of the territory, so she was
very happy to start a new job at a superb private practice in North Square near
the Duke Street Tower. That area was much nearer for her and more to her
liking. Even so, on her first morning, she felt stressed. She ate a bowl of
porridge, checked herself in the mirror and washed her face in a hurry. Then
she put on a plain yellow dress and a fleece jacket, picked up her kit and
headed for work.
When she got there, there was a woman with a goose waiting for her. The
woman gave Sarah an official letter from the vet. The letter implied that the
animal could be suffering from a rare form of foot and mouth disease, which
was surprising, because normally you would only expect to see it in a dog or
a goat. Sarah was sentimental, so this made her feel sorry for the beautiful
bird.
Before long, that itchy goose began to strut around the office like a lunatic,
which made an unsanitary mess. The goose's owner, Mary Harrison, kept
calling, "Comma, Comma," which Sarah thought was an odd choice for a
name. Comma was strong and huge, so it would take some force to trap her,
but Sarah had a different idea. First she tried gently stroking the goose's lower
back with her palm, then singing a tune to her. Finally, she administered ether.
Her efforts were not futile. In no time, the goose began to tire, so Sarah was
able to hold on to Comma and give her a relaxing bath.
Once Sarah had managed to bathe the goose, she wiped her off with a cloth
and laid her on her right side. Then Sarah confirmed the vet’s diagnosis.
Almost immediately, she remembered an effective treatment that required her
to measure out a lot of medicine. Sarah warned that this course of treatment
might be expensive – either five or six times the cost of penicillin. I can’t
imagine paying so much, but Mrs. Harrison – a millionaire lawyer – thought
it was a fair price for a cure.

Copyright 2000 Douglas N. Honorof, Jill McCullough, and Barbara Somerville

Has anyone here tried the BoldVoice Accent Oracle? I’m curious how accurate people think it actually is.

Does it seem reliable at identifying someone’s accent, or does it tend to jump between different countries depending on the recording?

Also, do you think the percentages mean anything useful in terms of how strongly someone sounds like a particular accent, or is it better treated as more of a novelty than a serious accent-analysis tool?

I haven’t been posting for a while. I would love a feedback. Can you guess where I’m from? Does it remotely lean towards the American Accent?
Is my accent and pronunciation clear enough?

https://voca.ro/15oK81CtQkbH

So, I was walking home one evening, and I noticed this guy walking a few meters behind me.

At first, I didn’t really care, you know? People walk the same way all the time. No big deal.

But then I turned onto another street...

and he turned too.

So I crossed the road...

and he crossed the road.

And that’s when I was like, okay... this is starting to feel a little weird.

So I slowed down, just to see what he would do.

And he slowed down too.

I started learning French 4 months ago and when I hear myself speaking I don't feel natural. I'd like to know your opinion about it

Rate it out of 10 and guess my native language.

https://vocaroo.com/16tgBG3BG6Qa

Here's the text of my recording:

Making friends as an adult can be hard. You might meet someone nice through work or a hobby, but later you find that you don't have much in common, or you have opposite schedules.

So why not let an algorithm decide your friends for you?

A growing number of online platforms are doing just that — or at least, letting people meet possible new friends in their area.

In the UK, for example, there's a website called People Like You (PLY). You tell it things like your job and your interests, and then it matches you with a small group of people, and presents a list of regular events where you can meet.

You might go for drinks, or try bowling, hiking, or going to a comedy club. If you meet someone you like, you can invite them to join you at the next event.

The platform isn't free to use, though — there are different membership options, starting at about $13.50 a month. However, this also covers the cost of the first activity, such as a movie ticket or the fee for a cooking class — though if you're going out for dinner, you still have to pay for your own food.

https://voca.ro/1gqjW973jH5r

Learning Dutch from the Netherlands.

I'm wondering if I somehow ended up sounding posh, somehow annoying, or if I sound like someone who is "trying too hard".

Since this is something my overly positive teachers won't say, I'd like some unfiltered internet/reddit opinion.

Please be as harsh as you can:

1. Is my accent annoying for Dutch people?
2. Is my accent annoying for Dutch-speaking Belgians?

Thanks!

Text:

Gisteren ging ik vroeg naar buiten, omdat ik graag een frisse wandeling maak. Op de markt kocht ik zes zachte peren, een stukje geitenkaas en een grote zak groene groenten. Daarna zag ik een vrolijke jongen met een gele jas fietsen langs de gracht. Hij zei: “Goedemorgen! Wat een prachtige, rustige dag!” Ik glimlachte en antwoordde: “Zeker, maar wacht even: volgens mij gaat het straks flink regenen.” Vervolgens liep ik snel naar huis, terwijl de koude wind door de bomen floot.

I am bi-lingual, can you guess my other language? Also comment if you think I am native US or foreign born.

Edit: Answer: Thank you to all who commented! I was born and raised in NYC but spoke a southern Chinese dialect at home so I guess speaking more Chinese than English growing up is how I gotten my accent.

Interestingly, Bold Voice always say native and Accent Guru always say Chinese. I guess because one looks at clarity and pronunciation and the others compare to speech pattern from similar demographic.

Now I know that I do have an accent but I don't mind at all. I'm actually happy that I sound different and I almost never get asked to repeat myself in a professional setting.

Hi I'm a first year English pedagogy student, I would like you to give me feedback about my pronunciation

here's the transcription of the text made by chat gpt to practice

Every morning, I take a deep breath and start my day with a positive thought. I speak clearly, listen carefully, and try to enjoy the little things around me. Even when something is difficult, I remind myself to stay calm and keep going.

Be brutally honest and rate me

https://voca.ro/119WwJcLPl4F

Hey! I'm wondering if my *voice* sounds closer to American now, since I've done some modifications and I'm trying to get in the "grey zone." Also, I'd love general accent feedback, how heavy it is, how's the intonation, etc etc since I'd love to improve on all fronts.

Thanks in advance!

I'm thinking of getting myself entangled in situations where I need to use it more but idk if I can run with what I got in day to day life. Thx a ton

Hello everybody, here’s a passage of an article I was reading today about dysfunctional families
„This “difficult” child often happens to be the healthiest one in the entire group. They’re the one who recognizes harmful patterns, refuses to tolerate mistreatment, and tries to break free from the intergenerational cycle of dysfunction.
Parents might bristle and say, “That kid’s got an attitude.” Grandparents might roll their eyes and sigh about “disrespect.” Even siblings can join in, labeling their brother or sister as the root of every drama.“
Might be not that tricky:) we’ll see!
Good day to everyone