Best language for singing?

old timer   Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:44 am GMT
Franco, go to hell :)
Commonaswhole   Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:01 am GMT
Tovarish Stalin didn't like me speaking German. ;)
cnablis   Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:24 am GMT
<<You can compare Flemish/Dutch to Andalusian/Castillian>>

How does the difference between Flemish and Dutch compare with the difference between UK English (RP) and American English (GAE)? Of course, in English there are many mutually unintelligible dialects, with huge differences between them, but these two are usually intelligible to many people.

UK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3G618-hxgA

US

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kXXgILSPfU
Commonaswhole   Sat Jul 04, 2009 2:51 am GMT
They're mutually intelligible, only vocabulary differences can bring confusion.

For instance: in Flemish Dutch lopen means 'to run' while in NL Dutch it means 'to walk'. And so there are many examples. It's all no big deal, even though some propaganda wants people to think otherwise and the provincial-minded Dutchman-annex-Fleming is gullible enough to believe the bullcrap.
So they needlessly subtitle Dutch from the Netherlands. So do some Belgian nationalists repeatedly claim we speak a language only spoken by 6 millions. I can tell you this: our church tower mentality is our curse, but not something we can't overcome. :)

We're neighbouring countries, so we will continue speaking the same language anyway.
Frod   Sat Jul 04, 2009 4:40 am GMT
What Slavic language is this? The song is called "parasolki"...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX89GHKDTM4&feature=related
CK   Sat Jul 04, 2009 5:00 am GMT
Italian, no doubt.
Joel   Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:34 am GMT
@ Frod

that's Russian, singer is Tamara Miansarova.
guillaume   Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:42 am GMT
I know some song by Jacques Brel in Flemish or Dutch, it sounds great, I think.
smartass   Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:43 am GMT
That's definitely not Russian. In Russian, umbrellas, the subject of the her song, are called "zontik," but in this case, she's singing about "parolki," which must be something from a language that's closer to Western Europe. I think it might be Polish...
smartass   Sat Jul 04, 2009 8:45 am GMT
I might be wrong, but I believe Tamara Miansarova has a Russian accent when she's saying "parasolki."
zhid   Sat Jul 04, 2009 9:15 am GMT
She's singing about parasols, not umbrellas.
user   Sat Jul 04, 2009 12:41 pm GMT
the best are: Russian, Croatian, French, Mandarin
Chica Latina   Sat Jul 04, 2009 1:22 pm GMT
I love Latin songs
Benoit   Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:09 pm GMT
Italian, no doubt!
Usual Idiot   Sat Jul 04, 2009 3:23 pm GMT
Esperanto!