keninabu!

The Sound of Languages

French, to my ear, sounds awful to my ear: I have no idea why they say it is an elegant language, because it simply drawls and yawns in my ear. It also has a touch of superiority and condescension in it like a British upper class accent (without the r's, old chap!), except it's not as cool. It sounds very much like someone yawning with a blocked nose.

German, in contrast, sounds crisp and clean, with clear-cut pronunciation. In certain regions, there is a melody to it, and in Standarddeutsch, it really sounds nice to me.

Both languages have a throaty "rr", which sounds like a cat's purr.

Turkish has a rhythm to it, and a melody that sounds like it is in the minor key, with quarter-tones like in Arabic music.

Hindi sounds melodious, and very sweet. It has a sweetness to it, esp when the Missus speaks it, that sounds like ... I don't know, chai?

Italian is just dolce (sweet).

posted by keninabu @ 2:56 AM