What does English sound like?

No, I know what you meant -- less tonal variation.

I associate that up-and-down quality more with Irish, I suppose. And in upper British Columbia (Canada) I encountered people with a peculiar accent that sounded like that Irish lilting quality paired with American/Canadian pronunciation -- very striking.

Yes, Irish English speakers are melodious. And you are spot on about BC! The Canadian ex-flatmate sounded almost Irish at times and was very melodious.

And proof that there are tons of North American accent no one ever hears on TV or in movies -- I had never heard that one before, and it was only a two-day drive from home.

"...North American accentS", dammit!

English sounds very nice to me, but since I have been able to speak it for many years now and I learnt it gradually, step by step, and actually still learning it, I guess I can't judge it that well. When I listen to a language that I don't understand, I can pay attention only to the sounds and say if I find it ugly or beautiful, but when I listen to English I hear the meaning, not the sounds.

"A lot of Germans have told me that their school teachers told them ' you don't speak English, you sing it'. "

Compared to German, ANY language sounds like German.

I meant to say, "Compared to German, ANY language sounds like singing."

"1. British
2. US
3. Canadian
4. Australian
5. SAR "

New Zealand, Irish, Indian, Zimbabwean, Tongan, Fijian.....

"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. "

That's true, that. I've noticed it myself, although I thought it was just me who noticed it and no-one else.

=>That's true, that. I've noticed it myself, although I thought it was just me who noticed it and no-one else. <=

No it's not true.

And Adamn on what do you base your opinion? Surely not on you imaginary 'experiences'.

"Compared to German, ANY language sounds like singing."

For some reason it seems that way to me too... LOL :)

"No it's not true.

And Adamn on what do you base your opinion? Surely not on you imaginary 'experiences'. "

I base my experiences upon that fact that English has many S sounds. I have noticed before, when I'm reading, that there are lots of S sounds. Just look at any English paragraph.

And I'm not the only one who's noticed it.

<<And proof that there are tons of North American accent no one ever hears on TV or in movies -- I had never heard that one before, and it was only a two-day drive from home.>>

So true. I wanna do a road trip around North America and stop off at different places and just listen to how local people talk. By the way, which accent were you referring to that was just a two-day drive from there?

=>I base my experiences upon that fact that English has many S sounds. I have noticed before, when I'm reading, that there are lots of S sounds. Just look at any English paragraph. <=

And you compared this to all languages of the world? Fuck off.

<<And proof that there are tons of North American accent no one ever hears on TV or in movies -- I had never heard that one before, and it was only a two-day drive from home.>>

So true. I wanna do a road trip around North America and stop off at different places and just listen to how local people talk. By the way, which accent were you referring to that was just a two-day drive from there? >>

It was an upper BC accent that sounded like American crossed with Irish, and it was two days north of NoCal, where i lived at the time.