| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3 4 5 6] > | Which language is the most beautiful language for you? Thread poster: wonita (X)
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Lingua 5B 
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 17:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
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Adrian Grant wrote:
Arguing in the street - Italian
Italians seem to be very passionate when talking, I don't think they are arguing though lol.. and I think it's Italians from the South who talk like this.
| | | | Melanie Meyer
United States
Local time: 11:11
Member (2010)
English to German
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sounds the most beautiful to me. I love listening to it, whether sung or spoken!
| | | | Erik Freitag
Germany
Local time: 17:11
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
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| Why is the love for Italian so common? | Apr 4, 2011 |
I've always wondered why so many people like the sound of the Italian language so much. Ask ten people in the street the sound of which language they like best, and I'll bet at least nine of them will reply it's Italian.
To my ears, Italian often has a somewhat blaring quality and sounds nowhere near as nice as French (or many other languages). My French is quite ok, while I don't speak Italian at all.
I'm more than willing to admit that the problem most probably is wit... See more I've always wondered why so many people like the sound of the Italian language so much. Ask ten people in the street the sound of which language they like best, and I'll bet at least nine of them will reply it's Italian.
To my ears, Italian often has a somewhat blaring quality and sounds nowhere near as nice as French (or many other languages). My French is quite ok, while I don't speak Italian at all.
I'm more than willing to admit that the problem most probably is with my ears, not with other people's or with the Italian language, though ▲ Collapse
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 17:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
| Pitch, intonation, volume, pace | Apr 4, 2011 |
efreitag wrote: I've always wondered why so many people like the sound of the Italian language so much. Ask ten people in the street the sound of which language they like best, and I'll bet at least nine of them will reply it's Italian. To my ears, Italian often has a somewhat blaring quality and sounds nowhere near as nice as French (or many other languages). My French is quite ok, while I don't speak Italian at all. I'm more than willing to admit that the problem most probably is with my ears, not with other people's or with the Italian language, though
I think all these factors affect how we hear certain language neurologically, which has impact on our final impression.
Southern people are known to use gesticulation much more in their speech, and also higher pitch and higher volume. It's related to their temperament.
That's just one example.
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"English is the language you use when you talk business,
French is for talking to women,
Italian is for talking to children,
German for talking to soldiers,
but Spanish? Spanish is for talking to God!"
| | | | | Portuguese in Rio | Apr 4, 2011 |
Georgia Morgan wrote:
...but, please, not the version spoken in Rio!
I second that. Cariocas not only speak a very bastardized version of Portuguese, with the biggest slang/formal words ratio of the entire Portuguese-speaking world, but they also do it with the sound of a locomotive ("SHs" abound).
Soundwise, I would say my favourite languages are Russian, Portuguese and English (UK).
| | | | Erik Freitag
Germany
Local time: 17:11
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Lingua 5B wrote: efreitag wrote: I've always wondered why so many people like the sound of the Italian language so much. Ask ten people in the street the sound of which language they like best, and I'll bet at least nine of them will reply it's Italian. To my ears, Italian often has a somewhat blaring quality and sounds nowhere near as nice as French (or many other languages). My French is quite ok, while I don't speak Italian at all. I'm more than willing to admit that the problem most probably is with my ears, not with other people's or with the Italian language, though I think all these factors affect how we hear certain language neurologically, which has impact on our final impression. Southern people are known to use gesticulation much more in their speech, and also higher pitch and higher volume. It's related to their temperament. That's just one example.
Sure, that's all true, but the question then is: Why exactly are those qualities of pitch, intonation, volume and pace of the Italian language preferred by so many people, while so few others (like myself) perceive them rather as "blaring"? (I'm not sure whether "blaring" really is a good description of how I perceive spoken Italian, but you get the gist)?
| | | | Lingua 5B
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 17:11
Member (2009)
English to Croatian
+ ...
efreitag wrote:
Sure, that's all true, but the question then is: Why exactly are those qualities of pitch, intonation, volume and pace of the Italian language preferred by so many people, while so few others (like myself) perceive them rather as "blaring"? (I'm not sure whether "blaring" really is a good description of how I perceive spoken Italian, but you get the gist)?
I think this popularity launched off in the 70s with Sanremo Music Festival and Italian movies/movie stars.
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| THE MOST BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE IS | Apr 4, 2011 |
CROATIAN!
| | | | veratek
Brazil
Local time: 12:11
French to English
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| This reminds me of a lost English! | Apr 4, 2011 |
George Hopkins wrote:
Unaffected English is the most beautiful language for me.
I don't know what was meant by "unaffected," but it reminded me of my favorite version of English, now, alas, completely extinct from the face of the Earth. It's a version of English spoken around the 40s (although probably also thirties), which starts to disappear around the 50s, in the United States.
I still marvel at it when watching old black and white movies from that time. To me, it sounds like it still conserved a tinge of British something to it, and it was soft and cadenced, at the same that it was much more elegant. This particular cadence and intonation has completely disappeared from current ways of speaking in the US.
There are many American accents which I love to listen to, and then there are those which I can't stand. One characteristic that appeals to me immensely in languages is for them to be highly "sing-song." That's why I love certain Southern accents, African-American accents (the huge highs and lows), Irish and Scottish accents. There's only one accent from England that I really like (I forget where it's from), most of the others either don't strike a chord either way or I can't stand (the "Queen's English" is particularly ridiculous...)
[Edited at 2011-04-04 20:19 GMT]
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I'm amazed that so many people were able to answer this. First there are so many thousands of languages in the world and I only properly know two of them. And then as for the sound of a language I feel that there are so many regional factors within each language and then there are individuals who speak their language, no matter what language or region in a very flat ugly way.
Then another aspect of a language, a very important one, is what it permits us to communicate. I read a auto... See more I'm amazed that so many people were able to answer this. First there are so many thousands of languages in the world and I only properly know two of them. And then as for the sound of a language I feel that there are so many regional factors within each language and then there are individuals who speak their language, no matter what language or region in a very flat ugly way.
Then another aspect of a language, a very important one, is what it permits us to communicate. I read a autobiography one time written by a man who had gone to University in Istambul before the First World War and each subject was taught in a different language, because some languages offer a greater ability to consider one subject rather than another. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I always loved English | Apr 4, 2011 |
Melanie Meyer wrote:
Italian, sounds the most beautiful to me. I love listening to it, whether sung or spoken!
Thank you very much Melanie, instead I always loved English, I adore its rythm, and just like Italian to you, English sounds the most beautiful to me, sung and spoken, AE in particular
[Edited at 2011-04-05 12:45 GMT]
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Adrian Grant wrote:
Arguing in the street - Italian
Ah ah ah, we don't argue in the streets too much these days, believeme,
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preferences are
Swedish spoken by French people
Spanish (but no the spanish of spain)
Latvian normally when spoken by women although sometimes "male" latvian is also nice
I have true problems with
Dutch and
German
| | | | Adrian Grant
United Kingdom
Local time: 16:11
Portuguese to English
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Prof. Angie G. wrote: Adrian Grant wrote:
Arguing in the street - Italian Ah ah ah, we don't argue in the streets too much these days, believeme,
Don't tell me they've outsourced it to India.
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