What makes a native American English speaker?

Chief Sitting Bull

People born in other countries want to sound like native speakers of American English while they live in the U.S. People born outside the U.S., speaking English as a second language, cannot avoid having at least a small accent, even if they can speak perfectly otherwise. For most non-native speakers, understanding American expressions and idioms is just as hard as proper pronunciation. Actually, a speaker of native American is a member of the original inhabitants of the U.S. Sitting Bull was a famous Native American and probably could speak English as well I expect.

To be accurate, I must say I am a native speaker of American English, which is how this language as evolved in the U.S; English in the U.K,, Australia, Canada, Ireland, India, and elsewhere are all slightly different. American English is my native tongue.

Another difference between English speakers born outside the U.S. and those born here is that most foreign born speakers know far fewer slang expressions, cultural references, and historic background on many subjects. Often people feel confident speaking within their area of expertise, such as at the workplace. For one reason, they know all the specialized vocabulary. But in other situations, such as social gatherings, they feel completely out of the loop because they do not always fully understand the conversation and its implications.

Some experts think the distinction between native and non-native speakers is not important. Technically they may be correct, especially when writing or speaking formally, as in a presentation. In casual conversation, though, or general writing (as in email or blog), the depth of your English knowledge comes through. A famous speech refers to a crystal cup that holds the rare wine. Yes, the cup is precious and valuable but the wine is what is most important. The cup is only a container for the wine. Likewise, our words are only containers for our meaning. Whether we drink from a crystal cup or paper cup, the wine tastes almost as good.