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I’m a 19-year-old student from Malaysia. I’ve been introduced to the language at a very young age and I’m capable of conducting any type of conversation. However, some of my English-speaking friends on the internet didn’t take too long to figure I’m not a native speaker. Why is that?
It’s possible that your friends on the internet were able to tell that English is not your native language due to certain aspects of your speech or writing that may differ from that of a native speaker. This could include things like accent, grammar, vocabulary, or even cultural references. However, the fact that you are capable of conducting any type of conversation in English is a great achievement and shows your proficiency in the language. Keep practicing and exposing yourself to different forms of English, and you’ll continue to improve and become even more fluent.
Native speakers can often tell someone is foreign based on their English alone through several indicators. This includes their accent, pronunciation, use of idiomatic expressions, grammar mistakes, and word choice. Non-native speakers may have a distinct accent that native speakers can pick up on, as well as struggle with certain sounds or phonemes that are common in English. Additionally, non-native speakers may make grammatical errors or misuse certain words that native speakers would not typically make. Overall, these factors can give away someone’s foreign background when speaking English.