What do foreign languages sound like to you?

[fresh_42]

For me it's almost the same. I have trouble with Danish, Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian, because they have just enough in common with Dutch that I understand a word here or there. But not enough in common to allow me to make sense of it.

Don't you have to learn some of the other languages in school? As far as I know there are four official languages there.

 

[Hornbein]

The official language of Malaysia is Malaysian. But kids aren't required to learn it in school. Tamil and Chinese Malaysians have their own schools. So English is the only language almost everyone understands

 

[Hornbein]

Swedish sounds like something recorded and played backward.

 

[Samy_A]

Don't you have to learn some of the other languages in school? As far as I know there are four official languages there.

Three official languages.
Normally you learn Dutch, French and English in the Flemish and French schools. In the German schools obviously German, and I assume also French and English (don't know for sure, maybe they also have Dutch).
Of course some pupils learn additional optional languages.
But I don't believe many Belgian schools teach one of the Scandinavian languages.

 

[fresh_42]

Three official languages.
Normally you learn Dutch, French and English in the Flemish and French schools. In the German schools obviously German, and I assume also French and English (don't know for sure, maybe they also have Dutch).
Of course some pupils learn additional optional languages.
But I don't believe many Belgian schools teach one of the Scandinavian languages.

What about letzeburgisch?

 

[Rx7man]

Swedish sounds like something recorded and played backward.

That's exactly what I was thinking about the Czech version of Wabash Cannonball I just posted!

Gruezi. Are you a fan of the famous Swiss group ABBA, too?
Canada plus Swiss? You're cherry picking, don't you?

haha, yes!.. mostly by luck I got to say.
I do like a few Abba songs, but to say I'm a fan would be an overstatement.. I do like Schwitzerorgli and traditional Swiss music, though I get my fill of it quickly.

 

[Samy_A]

What about letzeburgisch?

Not an official language in Belgium, though used in a few communes along the border with Luxembourg. No idea whether it is taught in the schools in these communes.

 

[fresh_42]

I do like a few Abba songs, but to say I'm a fan would be an overstatement.. I do like Schwitzerorgli and traditional Swiss music, though I get my fill of it quickly.

In case you're homesick:

 

[StatGuy2000]

The official language of Malaysia is Malaysian. But kids aren't required to learn it in school. Tamil and Chinese Malaysians have their own schools. So English is the only language almost everyone understands

That's interesting. I have friends from Malaysia and they have told me that all schools are required to teach Bahasa Malaysia (i.e. the Malay language) in their schools, at least as a second language even in the Chinese, Tamil, or English-language schools (although I was told that English is the common lingua franca among the different ethnic groups).

So I assume that you are from Malaysia then?

 

[Hornbein]

That's interesting. I have friends from Malaysia and they have told me that all schools are required to teach Bahasa Malaysia (i.e. the Malay language) in their schools, at least as a second language even in the Chinese, Tamil, or English-language schools (although I was told that English is the common lingua franca among the different ethnic groups).

So I assume that you are from Malaysia then?

I've been there a lot. You know how it goes when kids are required to learn something.

 

[Vanadium 50]

OK, I hate to go nuclear but...



This is English.

 

[fresh_42]

OK, I hate to go nuclear but...
This is English.

I made it until 0:27. In which country was it?

 

[Vanadium 50]

I made it until 0:27

Oh, but it gets better. And better still!

It's Bulgarian.

 

[Hornbein]

OK, I hate to go nuclear but...



This is English.

So is this.



I like it like that.

In east Asia books are often sold with English titles ever if they aren't in English. I never understood that. It would be like selling English books in the US with Chinese titles.

South Korean pop music is often a mixture of Korean and English. It's not unusual for the artists to speak English perfectly.

 

[fresh_42]

And I always thought this was weird:



But I'd put him to Italy. Until I looked it up: Ohio.

Edit: @Vanadium 50 I've now made it till the end. That was really mean. But my toothache doesn't feel so bad anymore.

 

[OCR]

Lol...

Why did I listen to that before going to bed ?! Was still singing it when waking up.... ← link

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loituma

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ievan_Polkka

Lyrics are on YT... click, "Show More"...

 

[Hornbein]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ievan_Polkka

Lyrics are on YT... click, "Show More"...

The song that made crowdsourced software pop idol Hatsune Miku a star.

 

[OCR]

The song that made crowdsourced software pop idol Hatsune Miku a star.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ievan_Polkka#Popularity

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatsune_Miku#Cultural_impact...

 

[OCR]

The song that made crowdsourced software pop idol Hatsune Miku a star.

This... ?

 

[Rx7man]

Here's the misheard lyrics of Nightwish - Wishmaster (I think they're swedish?)

 

[DrClaude]

 

[fresh_42]

Here's the misheard lyrics of Nightwish - Wishmaster (I think they're swedish?)

As I've thought: Nightwish are Finnish! (The crazy punks among the Scandinavian people. The Swedish are more the pop musicians. Long live prejudices!)

 

[Hornbein]

During the past 100 years USA English has become an extremely throaty language. Mandarin is the opposite: the sounds are produced at the teeth, or seemingly in the air in front of the teeth.

To speak Indian languages or Indonesian pull your tongue in. In Indonesian use your nose a lot, but not in India.

 

[Hornbein]

This... ?

You bet. Here's Levan Polka as interpreted by Adolph Hitler.

 

[Rx7man]

I don't know what flavor of 'chinese' this is, Cantonese, Mandarin, or other, but it's a pretty good laugh too..

 

[Silicon Waffle]

I think it's Madarin.

 

[Choppy]

Whenever I don't understand the language, I always hope that the other person will speak louder and slower...
(see about 8:25)

 

[Rx7man]

I think it's Madarin.

My best friend moved to Taiwan and learned Mandarin.. He's actually the guy who showed me that video about 10 years ago, before he started learning it... I'll have to send it to him again and see if he can translate now :)

 

[Psinter]

Whenever I don't understand the language, I always hope that the other person will speak louder and slower...

This is so oh true.

 

[Tosh5457]

German seems angry all the time, and French sounds snob Nordic countries languages I find odd and interesting. Russian sounds oddly like European Portuguese, if I'm distracted I could mistake someone on a public transport speaking Russian as speaking Portuguese, since the sounds are very similar. On the other hand, Spanish is a very similar language to Portuguese, in vocabulary, but sounds totally different (sounds more similar to Brazilian Portuguese).