Anonymous
Post 05/21/2024 15:17     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Anonymous wrote:Listening to mandarin all day gives me a headache.

Thai also isn’t great. When they sing it just never sounds good simply because of the way they have to say words.


Thai and Mandarin are both tonal languages. English obviously isn't. I know I can't differentiate tones very well and wonder whether maybe native speakers of non-tonal languages don't hear the subtleties and differences.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2024 13:38     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Listening to mandarin all day gives me a headache.

Thai also isn’t great. When they sing it just never sounds good simply because of the way they have to say words.
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2024 13:21     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
I wonder what non-native English speakers generally think about English? Maybe it depends on the accent?
Anonymous
Post 05/21/2024 10:02     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
If anyone calls dutch or german ugly one more time i will off myself i think they’re beautiful
Anonymous
Post 05/26/2023 14:48     Subject: Re:Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Anonymous
Post 05/26/2023 14:30     Subject: Re:Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:French or Mandarin as the most beautiful.
German and Dutch sound harsh to me.

French or Mandarin? Really? Do they sound similar in anyway to you?


NP here. Why would they need to sound similar to both be considered beautiful? Beauty is not monolithic.

This is like someone saying that they thought Iman and Kendall Jenner were both beautiful and you wondering if they look at all the same to the person.
Anonymous
Post 05/26/2023 12:20     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Mandarin Chinese is my favorite, especially when spoken by those who take the time to enunciate well.

Latin is actually my least favorite, although that may have something to do with my association with the Catholic masses I attended when growing up.


I've always loved the sound of ecclesiastical/church Latin. It sounds so elegant to me.

Classical Latin, which is the pronunciation I learned in school, is a different story; Caesar = "kye-zar" instead of "see-zer" and Veni Vidi Vici = "wenny weedy weeky." How are you supposed to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies with that!?


Thanks PP. I needed the laugh today.
Anonymous
Post 05/25/2023 15:41     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Anonymous wrote:Mandarin Chinese is my favorite, especially when spoken by those who take the time to enunciate well.

Latin is actually my least favorite, although that may have something to do with my association with the Catholic masses I attended when growing up.


I've always loved the sound of ecclesiastical/church Latin. It sounds so elegant to me.

Classical Latin, which is the pronunciation I learned in school, is a different story; Caesar = "kye-zar" instead of "see-zer" and Veni Vidi Vici = "wenny weedy weeky." How are you supposed to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies with that!?
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 21:00     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Mandarin Chinese is my favorite, especially when spoken by those who take the time to enunciate well.

Latin is actually my least favorite, although that may have something to do with my association with the Catholic masses I attended when growing up.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 20:20     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Love Italian, Portuguese, Hebrew, French, Finnish (sounds like elves!), Persian, Hindi, Haitian creole. Hate Dutch, German, Afrikaans, Flemish, Igbo.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 16:53     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Not most beautiful, but most fascinating- Xhosa
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 16:44     Subject: Re:Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
If you heard my loud obnoxious neighbor speak in Spanish, you would say it’s the ugliest.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 16:36     Subject: Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I dislike the sound of Vietnamese even more than German.


+1

It is a tough language to listen to.


Agree with Vietnamese. It sounds like all vowels.

I grew up with a lot Vietnamese kids, and someone once said it sounded like pots and pans hitting the floor.


Just so you don't repeat this in the company of others, the "pots and pans" thing is the beginning of a well known racist joke. Often told in the 80s/90s.

I was a teen in the 80s so that makes sense.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 16:06     Subject: Re:Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Farsi is my favorite — I think it’s the combination of the longer vowel sounds and deeper consonants.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2023 09:36     Subject: Re:Most beautiful (and ugliest) language you have heard
Most beautiful: Italian

Ugliest: Hebrew; English spoken by New Zealanders