Been studying about 1.5 year. When speaking Japanese (I have been told my pronunciation sounds fine, just a kinda 外人っぽい accent) for an extended amount of time, my tongue, mouth, and even a bit of my throat feel kind of weird/forced/tired (no pain). Is this normal and does speaking Japanese more and more alleviate this until the muscles grow accustomed or something?
3 comments
You will get used to it after a while, and it won’t feel weird anymore. But the fact that you’re having this experience is good. It means you’re not just using English sounds when you speak.
I once heard a native German speaker talk about how forming American English sounds (especially the American “R”) made her mouth hurt, and googling “learning new language mouth hurts” brings up a bunch of similar complaints. It’s likely just part of the process. The tongue is a muscle, and you’re making it do new things.
It’s also possible you’re extra tense, since you’re focusing on trying to get it right. Either way, it should get better with time and practice.
Yes it will get more normal. Listening helps. Mimic Japanese actors. Then make believe you Are a Japanese actor. Good luck.