Hitler's accent and languages

Skippy   Mon May 05, 2008 10:43 pm GMT
I know this is random (and please refrain from the anti-Semitic and anti-German remarks that are bound to come up on this topic). I was just wondering about Hitler's accent... My friend (from Leipzig, nonetheless) said he had a very goofy accent that, were it not for the atrocities for which he's responsible, it would be cartoon-ish.

Also, did he speak any other languages? Did he ever bother to learn French or Italian or English or anything?
Guest   Mon May 05, 2008 10:50 pm GMT
His accent would be close to the accent of Arnold Schwartzeneger of California.
Guest   Mon May 05, 2008 10:58 pm GMT
Is Arnold a nazi as well?
As for Hitler I noticed that he pronounced the rolled r, not the typical German guttural r. And no, he didn't learn other languages. German was the language of the superior race, so he didn't care French or other languages.
PARISIEN   Mon May 05, 2008 11:14 pm GMT
Most orators from the pre-TV era sound pompous and goofy.

Hitler's accent when he spoke on the radio was a sort of synthetic concoction, mixing some sort of Bavarian assertiveness with a deliberate imitation of Prussian harshness (from both he indeed retained the slightly rolled r's). Thus he impersonated the natural voice of authority to most Germans of all parts of the country, he wasn't associated to a particular region.

He was a fine actor and also an astute communicator. Old German people have told me that he had a thing to adapt to various regional accents. When in Austria he used his native accent, in Munich he was undistinguishable from locals, when in Hamburg he spoke like Hamburgers do, without pronouncing the 'sch' sound of stressed syllabes starting with 'sp' or 'st'.
Earle   Tue May 06, 2008 3:55 am GMT
It happens that the person I originally learned my German accent from was from the Waldviertel. (She usually just said Linz, though Linz is "uptown," compared to the Waldviertel.) I've visited that area, and they do not use the rolled "r" at all. In fact, Oberösterreichisch still is the brand of German which I find most pleasant. I've listened to some of Hitler's speeches and it doesn't sound at all like the common accent of the area where he grew up. He sounds as if he's chewing every word up and spitting it out, which lines up with Parisien's remarks above. I haven't heard any examples of his speech when speaking to people in various regions, only when speaking to thousands...
Earle   Tue May 06, 2008 4:02 am GMT
I'd add that there used to be many people here where I live that I could ask (like next-door neighbors for nine years), but they've mostly passed on. However, there are still a couple I can ask about his ability to modify his accent, which I find interesting, since I do it to some degree myself. If I find anything interesting, I'll post it...
Mussolini - Mafia   Tue May 06, 2008 4:17 am GMT
yeah, Hitler was a good friend with Mussolini.
Colette   Wed May 07, 2008 6:47 am GMT
<<As for Hitler I noticed that he pronounced the rolled r, not the typical German guttural r. >>

The rolled r in German is a southern phenomenon, I am told.
Guest   Wed May 07, 2008 7:07 am GMT
<<I am told.>>

People lie.
proHitler   Wed May 07, 2008 3:59 pm GMT
So why did Hitler pronounce that weird rolled r when German r is uvular? Can anobody explain it?
Earle   Wed May 07, 2008 4:53 pm GMT
"The rolled r in German is a southern phenomenon, I am told."

I've heard it in Switzerland and around Vienna, but not through most of Austria. It's a lot more complex than just northern/southern...
PARISIEN   Wed May 07, 2008 11:36 pm GMT
<< So why did Hitler pronounce that weird rolled r when German r is uvular? Can anobody explain it? >>

Rolled r's:
— were also prevalent in North-Eastern Germany (= Prussia, before the local German population was deported), and were stereotype for Prussian officiers,
— were back then much more widespread in Germany as a whole,
— and were prescribed in the academic language and 'Bühnensprache' (on theatre stages).

But Hitler's sideman Goebbels (who was from Rhineland) always used his native uvular r's. (I just checked on Youtube, his speech sounds a lot more modern than his master's voice)

For some obscure reasons the uvular rhotic is constantly gaining ground in France, Holland, Germany, Scandinavia. I also noticed that even in Bavaria or Austria urban educated classes tend to soften or eliminate the alveolar trill, which sounds increasingly old-fashioned.

It's hard to believe but maybe some day even the Italians or the Russians will switch to uvular r's!
Earle   Thu May 08, 2008 1:45 am GMT
"Rolled r's:
— were also prevalent in North-Eastern Germany (= Prussia, before the local German population was deported), and were stereotype for Prussian officiers, "

In 1991-1992, I hosted a German exchange student. His parents were originally from the northeast, she from Königsberg, he from Stettin. I had many occasions to speak with both, with her more hours than I'd ever have wished. Neither used the "zungen-R."
Guest   Thu May 08, 2008 10:19 am GMT
Why Rammstein sing their songs using rolled r ?
Earle   Thu May 08, 2008 5:13 pm GMT
The rolled "r" is the proper one for all singing...