I love this forum. I don't know anyone deaf, so while I have had some difficulties growing up (as well as now in the present), I could only keep it to myself since nobody would really understand it the way I would go through it. It's so nice to be seeing soooooo many familiar problems from other people here.
I don't really have much of a problem with pronunciation, except sometimes growing up I would pronounce something the way it was spelled. Like when I was saying "pal" like "pawl". Fortunately I have a sense of humor so I can laugh with everyone else these days when they bring it up. Don't think that's strictly deaf-related, though. Pretty sure anyone can make that mistake if they don't hear anyone else saying that word. I'm paranoid about slurring words without hearing it, so if I catch myself talking too fast and running words together, I'll stop and deliberately repeat the word I think I've maimed, in a jokey matter, if just to prove that I did hear it and that the other person doesn't have to feel embarrassed for me.
I'm half Dutch, from mom's side, and I would LOVE to learn the Dutch language, but I just can't do it. My sister has taken to it like a duck out of water (just little words, she can't string a sentence together or anything), but I can't even get basic words. There's too much trilling and tongue rolling and I've never been able to do that. Makes me sad. And it's embarrassing when mom and my sister are trying to encourage me to say this word or that and I have to refuse because I know I'll sound like an idiot. Fortunately I can say a few words, but I don't say them much because they sound so strange that I can't be sure if I'm still saying it right. Is this sound in the middle of the word that of a B or V? I think it's no wonder why I failed French miserably in the 3 years I was required to take it. I only learned a few names of the animals, and a couple of more common words, but that's it.