> > > I think the best way to sound native is to just say the words as fast as you can... at least for Japanese.
> >
> > Is that kind of like how English-speakers think they can get someone who doesn't speak of a word of English to understand them by talking REALLY REALLY LOUD and r e a l l y r e a l l y s l o w ?
>
> lol My grandma does that to me, in Punjabi. I don't understand punjabi and she doesn't speak english... so she thinks repeating what she says slower will make me understand. I always like how in movies, if there's a language barrier, somehow repeating "T-a-k-e m-e t-o y-o-u-r l-e-a-d-e-r" gets the other person to understand. Maybe that's why people think it'll work in real life.

Sometimes I can figure out what someone is talking about in Spanish, if they give me a word or two at a time. A little sign language helps.

I can pronounce Hawaiian place names with a fair degree of accuracy, but I can't speak the language.
Howard