Jump to content
Linguaholic

Is there a language you just don't like the sound of?


A0130

What's the most romantic language?  

68 members have voted

  1. 1. What's the most romantic language?

    • French
      36
    • German
      2
    • English
      3
    • Hindi
      1
    • Italian
      15
    • Chinese
      0
    • Japanese
      2
    • Spanish
      9


Recommended Posts

I'm not trying to insult any languages here. They are all very beautiful and very complex. However, I have never particularly liked the sound of French. I like Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish and German... but couldn't get that "wow" from French. I am in the minority, I promise. What about you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't like Spanish. It's weird, because I used to love Italian (now I don't really love it, but I don't hate it either) and I like French, but I dislike Spanish.

Fortunately, there's a lot of other languages I can learn :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First of all I would like to point out that I respect any language. Of course there are languages that you like more and languages that you probably like a little bit less :=)

I newer grew fond of the sound of Cantonese. It is a little bit too melodic for me. I really enjoy Mandarin Chinese but Cantonese is maybe not the next language I am going to "target", as I do not like the sound of it very much. Still, as I already speak Mandarin Chinese it would be very interesting to study Cantonese as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a native speaker of English in the U.S. and surprising as it may seem, as a child and young teen I never really liked the sound of English as compared to other languages that I had heard. 

In fact, that was part of my motivation to learn Spanish, aside from its pragmatic value. I liked how it sounded when I heard it on the Spanish language TV channels and radio, as well as being out in a store, for instance and hearing people speak the language.  I also liked the sound of French which I first heard widely spoken when our family would take trips to Quebec, Canada.  Same with German, which I first heard via German opera.

Especially as a teen, all these other languages seemed to have a "cool" factor that English didn't have. English seemed very dull and lacking in tonal beauty to me although I did like find some of the various forms of spoken English -- British, for instance -- a little more pleasing. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe it is because I am Swedish, I don't know, but I am not so fond of how the Finnish language sounds. I know many Finnish people (my best friend is 75% Finnish, and I have no problem with Finnish people, but the language is just so harsh. And reading it? They have like 20-lettered words with like 6 a's in a row (okey, not really, but sometimes it looks like it).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now I feel I'm being lead into dangerous territory here because I don't want to offend! However I often feel that German in difficult to listen to - I just can't even estimate where one word ends and the next begins. I used to dislike the sound of Portuguese but I got over that and quite like it now, but the one I have most difficulty with is the Scottish way of speaking English. Maybe it's just negative memories I have about certain Scottish people!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have an idea some are very guttural, thank you Arnold Scwarzenegger! Those are not the lovliest to the ear. I think Russian may fit inot that category, some people think German does but seriously, I think Mr. S. made a language of his own because Austrian doesn't hurt my ears unless he is speaking it. :wacky:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Probably Arabic for me since I grew up in a country where a lot of the people actually write and speak Arabic. It just sounds 'harsh' and the writing is way too difficult for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I never cared for the sound of Chinese and Japanese.  It seems too stunted and abbreviated.  Maybe the natives just speak it too quickly for my taste.  I also don't like the English accent of those who live in England.  It is sort of cute for a little bit but after listening to them speak for more than five minutes or so it begins to wear on my ears.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't remember ever hearing a language that I really hated the sound of. Some sound harsher, sure, but I find German as equally interesting and tolerable to listen to as Chinese or Japanese or anything else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

French. It sounds theatrical to me and is way too soft. You always get the impression they are afraif of speaking words out in a rough way.

True. Don't dislike it as such but some French speakers can be quite annoying.

There's a local Indian language called Telugu which sounds so crass and uncouth to my ears that I can't help but dislike it. It doesn't help that a lot of people in my college speak it and I cringe every time I hear it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest akasha24

I am not too fond of the Russian language but what I really don't like the sound of is German. It feels so aggressive to me and unfriendly so those are the ones I really dislike and do not like listening to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Even though I have a few Swedish friends and I believe that Sweden is a beautiful country, I have to admit that their language sounds a bit too rough for my ears. The consonants have such a strong staccato articulation (probably due to the cold climate of the region) that create a feeling of aggresion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't know if there are languages I don't like, but certain accents are a bit less appealing New Jersey, some Australian accents.

I also have more trouble understanding Russian speakers of English than most other accents.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would have to say that I just don't care for the sound of Arabic. I like and respect the language in other ways but I cannot get over that ayin sound. It sounds like the person is gagging and it is almost impossible for me to reproduce. I can see why Persian and Urdu speakers when they use Arabic words basically just ignore the ayin or make it a glottal stop.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...