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Usenet Posted 18 years ago
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How do non-English-speaking people "hear" English?
From another newsgroup:
(regarding problems with translating English movies into German)
[nq:1]It's even more of a challenge going the other way...there's a story about some translator smoothly giving the English for ... on over her headset and asked what the problem was, and she explained "I was just waiting for the verb"..[/nq]
Heh. Reminds me of what the late, great Quentin Crisp wrote in his book "How to Go to the Movies" - he said, in reference to a movie, that when you're reading an English edition of Marcel Proust, "if you turn the pages too fast, you may miss the principal verb."
[nq:1]Then there's the story about whether words for beautiful things are intrinsically beautiful themselves: A Frenchman, a Spaniard, and a ... word - mariposa. Mariposa. It is like sugar for the tongue." The German says "So what is wrong with Schmetterling?"[/nq]
Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages and accents? I'm guessing, unfortunately, that most non-German-speaking people do not find German to be an attractive-sounding language or accent. (Regardless of German history, I mean.) However, I wouldn't be too surprised if the same were true regarding English, but I've never heard anyone comment on that.
Most Caribbean and African accents, at least, sound syrupy-sweet to me, though not exactly seductive.
Now, the Spanish and French languages sound attractive to at least half of those people who don't speak either language, I'm guessing.
Lenona.
(regarding problems with translating English movies into German)
[nq:1]It's even more of a challenge going the other way...there's a story about some translator smoothly giving the English for ... on over her headset and asked what the problem was, and she explained "I was just waiting for the verb"..[/nq]
Heh. Reminds me of what the late, great Quentin Crisp wrote in his book "How to Go to the Movies" - he said, in reference to a movie, that when you're reading an English edition of Marcel Proust, "if you turn the pages too fast, you may miss the principal verb."
[nq:1]Then there's the story about whether words for beautiful things are intrinsically beautiful themselves: A Frenchman, a Spaniard, and a ... word - mariposa. Mariposa. It is like sugar for the tongue." The German says "So what is wrong with Schmetterling?"[/nq]
Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages and accents? I'm guessing, unfortunately, that most non-German-speaking people do not find German to be an attractive-sounding language or accent. (Regardless of German history, I mean.) However, I wouldn't be too surprised if the same were true regarding English, but I've never heard anyone comment on that.
Most Caribbean and African accents, at least, sound syrupy-sweet to me, though not exactly seductive.
Now, the Spanish and French languages sound attractive to at least half of those people who don't speak either language, I'm guessing.
Lenona.
Top answer
(Email Removed) twierdzi, że: [nq:1]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages ... [/nq] For the Polish-speaking persons, English sounds very weird: like a mumbling of a guy with a very bad cold and completely blocked nose. Try to say something like "wamwamwamwamwamwamwam" trough your nose and you'll get the feeling of how English is perceived .
- (Email Removed) twierdzi, że: [nq:1]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages ...
- [/nq] For the Polish-speaking persons, English sounds very weird: like a mumbling of a guy with a very bad cold and completely blocked nose.
- Try to say something like "wamwamwamwamwamwamwam" trough your nose and you'll get the feeling of how English is perceived .
- French and German - more or less the same opinions as among the English-speaking people.
- The Official Unabashed Scientific Dictionary defines cation as a positively charged kitten.
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13 Answers
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(Email Removed) twierdzi, że:
[nq:1]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages ... I wouldn't be too surprised if the same were true regarding English, but I've never heard anyone comment on that.[/nq]
For the Polish-speaking persons, English sounds very weird: like a mumbling of a guy with a very bad cold and complet
[nq:1]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages ... I wouldn't be too surprised if the same were true regarding English, but I've never heard anyone comment on that.[/nq]
For the Polish-speaking persons, English sounds very weird: like a mumbling of a guy with a very bad cold and complet
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[nq:1]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages and accents?[/nq]
Dutch, to me, is the ugliest language I've ever heard spoken. That is, to a person who does not understand the language but just hears the sounds.
Korean sets my teeth on edge. A female speaker of Korean reading a sticky-sweet love note sounds angry and
Dutch, to me, is the ugliest language I've ever heard spoken. That is, to a person who does not understand the language but just hears the sounds.
Korean sets my teeth on edge. A female speaker of Korean reading a sticky-sweet love note sounds angry and
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[nq:2]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages and accents?[/nq]
[nq:1]Dutch, to me, is the ugliest language I've ever heard spoken. That is, to a person who does not understand the language but just hears the sounds...[/nq]
I think Hebrew has it beaten.
But it's curious, there is a broader range of agreement abo
[nq:1]Dutch, to me, is the ugliest language I've ever heard spoken. That is, to a person who does not understand the language but just hears the sounds...[/nq]
I think Hebrew has it beaten.
But it's curious, there is a broader range of agreement abo
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[nq:1] Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" ... I wouldn't be too surprised if the same were true regarding English, but I've never heard anyone comment on that.[/nq]
How non-anglophones hear English is not a question I can answer, but I can answer the converse question from a British English point of view:
Ugly: Hebrew, Arabic, D
How non-anglophones hear English is not a question I can answer, but I can answer the converse question from a British English point of view:
Ugly: Hebrew, Arabic, D
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Athel Cornish-Bowden twierdzi, że:
[nq:1]How non-anglophones hear English is not a question I can answer, but I can answer the converse question from a British English point of view: Monotone: Russian,[/nq]
This is a surprise for me. Russian is very melodic and definitely not monotone - at least from the point of view of the Poles.
[nq:1]Consisting entirely of consonants (mainly sh):
[nq:1]How non-anglophones hear English is not a question I can answer, but I can answer the converse question from a British English point of view: Monotone: Russian,[/nq]
This is a surprise for me. Russian is very melodic and definitely not monotone - at least from the point of view of the Poles.
[nq:1]Consisting entirely of consonants (mainly sh):
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[nq:1]Athel Cornish-Bowden twierdzi, ?e:[/nq]
[nq:2]Monotone: Russian,[/nq]
[nq:1]This is a surprise for me. Russian is very melodic and definitely not monotone[/nq]
It's the absence of secondary stress, together with the length of the words. English speakers hear a long word like "razgovarivayutsya" as one long mumble with a single pitch spike in the middle.
It might also be
[nq:2]Monotone: Russian,[/nq]
[nq:1]This is a surprise for me. Russian is very melodic and definitely not monotone[/nq]
It's the absence of secondary stress, together with the length of the words. English speakers hear a long word like "razgovarivayutsya" as one long mumble with a single pitch spike in the middle.
It might also be
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[nq:2]Athel Cornish-Bowden twierdzi, ?e: This is a surprise for me. Russian is very melodic and definitely not monotone[/nq]
[nq:1]It's the absence of secondary stress, together with the length of the words. English speakers hear a long word like "razgovarivayutsya" as one long mumble with a single pitch spike in the middle.[/nq]
That's right. Krzysztof's name suggests that he is Polish, i
[nq:1]It's the absence of secondary stress, together with the length of the words. English speakers hear a long word like "razgovarivayutsya" as one long mumble with a single pitch spike in the middle.[/nq]
That's right. Krzysztof's name suggests that he is Polish, i
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[nq:1]Which reminds me of something I'd like to read about: How do people around the world "hear" each other's languages ... and French languages sound attractive to at least half of those people who don't speak either language, I'm guessing. Lenona.[/nq]
Italian and Spanish acquaintances tell me English has too many dipthongs. Words like 'fire', 'boy', 'down', 'you' and 'I' weary their Latin
Italian and Spanish acquaintances tell me English has too many dipthongs. Words like 'fire', 'boy', 'down', 'you' and 'I' weary their Latin
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[nq:2]Now, the Spanish and French languages sound attractive to at least half of those people who don't speak either language, I'm guessing. Lenona.[/nq]
[nq:1]Italian and Spanish acquaintances tell me English has too many dipthongs. Words like 'fire', 'boy', 'down', 'you' and 'I' weary their Latin ears, I gather. Peter[/nq]
To me, who speaks no second language, French sounds pleasant, Ita
[nq:1]Italian and Spanish acquaintances tell me English has too many dipthongs. Words like 'fire', 'boy', 'down', 'you' and 'I' weary their Latin ears, I gather. Peter[/nq]
To me, who speaks no second language, French sounds pleasant, Ita
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[nq:1]To me, who speaks no second language, French sounds pleasant, Italian (I had many relatives speak it around me) sounds 'harse' and Spanish sounds like a softened Italian, if that makes any sense.[/nq]
"I speak Spanish to ***, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse." HRE Charles V
John Varela
Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email.
"I speak Spanish to ***, Italian to women, French to men, and German to my horse." HRE Charles V
John Varela
Trade NEW lamps for OLD for email.
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