Language that sounds like English

en   Wed Jun 17, 2009 12:58 am GMT
That's interesting. Do you have any clips?
Me   Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:21 am GMT
I speak a language that sounds very close to English when I'm
trying to talk with a native speaker.
Guest   Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:29 pm GMT
Spanish spoken by a native English speaker sounds pretty much like English.
Stumm   Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:22 pm GMT
<<Icelandic>>

Icelandic sounds totally different!
Commonaswhole   Wed Jun 17, 2009 3:33 pm GMT
28367548   Wed Jun 17, 2009 4:35 pm GMT
>> Icelandic sounds totally different <<

No it doesn't. English and Icelandic are the only languages to preserve the "th" sound. And Icelandic has neither the pitch accent of Norwegian or Swedish, nor the stoed of Danish. I think they sound remarkably similar. However, this thread is about non-Germanic languages (and non-French, and non-Shanghainese.) It's amazing how similar the dialect of Chinese spoken in Shanghai sounds so remarkably similar to English and Icelandic.
Leasnam   Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:24 pm GMT
Welsh (Cymru) sounds very much like English English, but I am not wis if this is forthy the speakers I've heard are twilingual and the English accent is pulling over to their Welsh, or vice versa...

Irish sounds like English too, but only English that is spoken with a heavy Irish accent
Commonaswhole   Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:34 pm GMT
Reminds me of Basque spoken in Spain, sounding like Castillian. Originally I figure it sounded much harshes, but it got influenced by Castillian. French Basques have a more Frenchy pronunciation in their Basque.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl75VkdWO8M
Guest   Wed Jun 17, 2009 5:37 pm GMT
All languages in Spain sound like Spanish: Catalan, Valencian, Leonese, Galician and Basque . There is a term that describes this phenomenon but I don't remember it.
43893748398   Wed Jun 17, 2009 7:46 pm GMT
Sprachbund or something? Sort of like how Finnish has a similar inventory of vowels as consonants as Swedish, even though the two are not genetically related.
American   Sun Jun 21, 2009 11:47 pm GMT
>> Cymru) sounds very much like English English <<

You mean Welsh-English?
Beathag   Wed Jul 08, 2009 1:22 am GMT
Irish.
Kitsch   Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:31 am GMT
I think the Scandinavian languages can sound faintly English some of the time. I've always wondered why it is that Danish people almost don't have accents at all when they speak in English.

Scots, of course, (depending one which side of the argument you're on) is the closest, however. Though, in my opinion, all Gaelic languages
Kitsch   Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:31 am GMT
I think the Scandinavian languages can sound faintly English some of the time. I've always wondered why it is that Danish people almost don't have accents at all when they speak in English.

Scots, of course, (depending one which side of the argument you're on) is the closest, however. Though, in my opinion, all Gaelic languages
rychag   Sat Jul 11, 2009 2:43 am GMT
<<Scots, of course, (depending one which side of the argument you're on) is the closest, however. Though, in my opinion, all Gaelic languages >>


Scots only sounds like Scotish English. It doesn't sound at all like American English for example. American English sounds closer to Dutch.