What does English sound like to people who speak other languages? Is it soft or gutteral; pleasant or unpleasant; ugly or beautiful?
What does English sound like?
I had a literature professor tell us an Italian saying once, while we were studying Dante's Inferno: "You spit English, you speak French, but you sing Italian."
I thought to myself, we don't sound like we're spitting, do we?
Then I went to England -- with all their T's and their sharp delivery, those people sound like they're spitting, all right!
I thought to myself, we don't sound like we're spitting, do we?
Then I went to England -- with all their T's and their sharp delivery, those people sound like they're spitting, all right!
A lot of Germans have told me that their school teachers told them ' you don't speak English, you sing it'.
I'm a native English speaker so I can't judge it myself. Uriel...humm, interesting comment! ;)
I'm a native English speaker so I can't judge it myself. Uriel...humm, interesting comment! ;)
Like Candy, I'm a native speaker too so I can't judge it from a non-English speaker's point of view.
I've heard positive and negative things said about the sound of English over the years. On the one hand, I've heard that the language has "wild pronunciation" but on the other hand I've also heard it described as one of the most masculine sounding languages too (according to the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen). Jesperson even said that women writing in English often had a style that was considered more "masculine" by women in non-English speaking countries.
I've heard positive and negative things said about the sound of English over the years. On the one hand, I've heard that the language has "wild pronunciation" but on the other hand I've also heard it described as one of the most masculine sounding languages too (according to the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen). Jesperson even said that women writing in English often had a style that was considered more "masculine" by women in non-English speaking countries.
I would like to say that English is an odd language. What I mean with that is that the native english speakers don´t pronounce the letters of the aphabet in the way we do. If I should translate the pronounciation of the English letters in the alphabet to Swedish it would be "äj" for a, i for e, "käj" for k, and if you take the word bite, if I should translate it so a Swedish person can pronounce it should stand "bajt" and not bite. Thats why English feels a bit odd to me.
What does English sound like? You name it - it can sound like it - including the ways you mentioned...and a whole lot more.
Mellifluous....sweet.......musical...screeching...discordant....lilting......gentle.....harsh.....soft....guttural....catarrhal.....ethereal....hellish....poetic....lyrical.....Glaswegian.....
It depends who is speaking, how they are speaking and where they are from .....generally speaking.
Mellifluous....sweet.......musical...screeching...discordant....lilting......gentle.....harsh.....soft....guttural....catarrhal.....ethereal....hellish....poetic....lyrical.....Glaswegian.....
It depends who is speaking, how they are speaking and where they are from .....generally speaking.
Of what English are we talking? As far as I know there are at least five Englishes (please correct me if I'm wrong):
1. British
2. US
3. Canadian
4. Australian
5. SAR
For me British English is most known and familiar. Well... it sounds not much pleasant (sorry, take no offence please). I'm more used to the open sounds like Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish and so on. But as an international language it'll do. At least much better than Chinese (no offence) which as for me sounds like a magnetic tape record being put in a reverse direction.
1. British
2. US
3. Canadian
4. Australian
5. SAR
For me British English is most known and familiar. Well... it sounds not much pleasant (sorry, take no offence please). I'm more used to the open sounds like Ukrainian, Italian, Spanish and so on. But as an international language it'll do. At least much better than Chinese (no offence) which as for me sounds like a magnetic tape record being put in a reverse direction.
**sounds like a magnetic tape record being put in a reverse direction**
Also a perfect description of late Saturday night/early Sunday morning Glaswegian.
Also a perfect description of late Saturday night/early Sunday morning Glaswegian.
I believe I read somewhere that English has more s and z sounds than most European languages, and that sometimes English speakers create the impression that they're hissing.
I found an example of what I was talking about on the net. : "Compared with most other languages, English has many sibilant sounds. One French lady said that English speakers always sound like snakes hissing."
-Jim Engell http://www.proofreadnow.com/tips/20041012_tip.html
I like the basic sound of some languages better than others (some kinds of Italian are my favorite), but once people learn a language, their ears become attuned to its sounds. Then subtle variations in how it's pronounced can usually create an impression of beauty. Also there are different types of beauty, of course, and we won't all agree about what's beautiful (for example, the beauty of a harp and the beauty of a rock guitar).
-Jim Engell http://www.proofreadnow.com/tips/20041012_tip.html
I like the basic sound of some languages better than others (some kinds of Italian are my favorite), but once people learn a language, their ears become attuned to its sounds. Then subtle variations in how it's pronounced can usually create an impression of beauty. Also there are different types of beauty, of course, and we won't all agree about what's beautiful (for example, the beauty of a harp and the beauty of a rock guitar).
**Jesperson even said that women writing in English often had a style that was considered more "masculine" by women in non-English speaking countries**
Damian says that women speaking in French often have a style that is the ultimate in femininity.
It's been discussed in this Forum several times....English is the Language of business, commerce, international communication and the cyber world...... so it is considered masculine.
French is the Language of love and romance and matters sensual......so it is more feminine.
:-)
Damian says that women speaking in French often have a style that is the ultimate in femininity.
It's been discussed in this Forum several times....English is the Language of business, commerce, international communication and the cyber world...... so it is considered masculine.
French is the Language of love and romance and matters sensual......so it is more feminine.
:-)
Are you really, really sure that English has more Z sounds than some Continental Languages? eg German? Polish? Polish seems to consist mainly of consonants with vowels thin on the ground and of the consonants Zs appear to be profuse! :-)
>>I would like to say that English is an odd language. What I mean with that is that the native english speakers don´t pronounce the letters of the aphabet in the way we do.<<
That's because English had a Great Vowel Shift. Before the shift the vowels were almost the same as in modern Swedish. Danish is going through a similar shift.
>>I've also heard it described as one of the most masculine sounding languages too (according to the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen)<<
Yes, but considering how soft Danish sounds, English would sound masculine.
>>"Compared with most other languages, English has many sibilant sounds. One French lady said that English speakers always sound like snakes hissing."
-Jim Engell, Professor <<
Yes, because French removed many of its Ss: such as noster became notre (with circumflex), and the French don't pronounce the file S of plurals if the next word doesn't begin with a vowel. Of course to me, with French's extremely gutteral throaty R, I could say that French sounds like frogs croaking!
That's because English had a Great Vowel Shift. Before the shift the vowels were almost the same as in modern Swedish. Danish is going through a similar shift.
>>I've also heard it described as one of the most masculine sounding languages too (according to the Danish linguist Otto Jespersen)<<
Yes, but considering how soft Danish sounds, English would sound masculine.
>>"Compared with most other languages, English has many sibilant sounds. One French lady said that English speakers always sound like snakes hissing."
-Jim Engell, Professor <<
Yes, because French removed many of its Ss: such as noster became notre (with circumflex), and the French don't pronounce the file S of plurals if the next word doesn't begin with a vowel. Of course to me, with French's extremely gutteral throaty R, I could say that French sounds like frogs croaking!