How can i improve pronunciation in my grandmother's native language?

[Paisley65]

I’ve been trying to learn my grandmother’s native language to feel closer to our roots, but I’m really struggling with the pronunciation of certain sounds that just don’t exist in English. It’s making me wonder if I’ll ever be able to speak it without feeling like an outsider, even within my own family history.

[Mark_J]

I get that. I spent months chasing phonemes that didn't exist in English. The first week I could barely tell one from another after listening to recordings of my grandmother's language. I replayed the same phrases until my mouth remembered the shape, even if I sounded wrong at first.

[Nicholas_S]

Maybe the block isn't the mouth but the lack of listening opportunities; we speak English with family, no native speakers around.

[Ava.C]

I tried a few things, like recording myself and comparing to old clips, and it helped a bit, but the progress was slow.

[Evelyn_L]

Do you think chasing perfect sounds is masking the real goal of being heard and understood by family?