French:
In france, even an alcoholic will sound sophisticated :), but without being annoying (see below). French accents are always sexy (when chicks have them)
British English:
London English is very difficult to understand to me. Additionally, any other "British" accent is annoying to me. Sounds fake. I dunno, how, but it just does. It sounds like they just put on this pompous act, like they're so classy, etc; but at the same time can say complete b.s.
I can't stand British movie dialogue, unless it's Mr. Bean. I tried watching Full Monty and couldnt take more than 1/2 hour of it.
Italian:
It is a great language--well-suited for opera. Very musical and lyrical. Italian accents when speaking English remind me of Brooklyn.
Indian language/accent sounds like Apu. Hate it.
Chinese:
I hate it too. Why the hell are they always so loud?
German:
The language is ugly, but ideal for military commands. But the accent, when speaking English, is kinda cool.
Hebrew: sounds like hairball
Russian: Heavy Russian accent is really really annoying. Even I cringe. Russian language is beautiful if you hear the "pure" language, as spoken by great theater actors, not Babushkas from Brighton Beach. Nothing worse than those Jewish grandmas who turn this beautiful language into sh*t.
d.
What's your own accent?
Quote from: locrian on October 12, 2007, 11:32:58 AM
What's your own accent?
I have a slight Russian/generic European accent.
d
I'm in the midwestern United States and when Monty Python came on back in the '70s, I had no idea about half of what they were saying. But I kept watching and soon picked up on it. Now, I have no problem with most British accents. I even became a bit of an anglophile back then.
But I got better. ;D
Kind of a side topic here, but whenever I visit somewhere with a distinct local accent different from my own, I begin picking up and imitating the accent.
Quote from: locrian on October 12, 2007, 11:44:26 AM
Kind of a side topic here, but whenever I visit somewhere with a distinct local accent different than my own, I begin picking up and imitating the accent.
everybody does. I hate brooklyn accent but I notice myself saying " 10 dollaz " ($10) haha
Quote from: marazm1 on October 12, 2007, 11:46:23 AM
everybody does. I hate brooklyn accent but I notice myself saying " 10 dollaz " ($10) haha
Oh good. I thought it was only me. ;)
Quote from: marazm1 on October 12, 2007, 11:28:34 AM
British English:
London English is very difficult to understand to me. Additionally, any other "British" accent is annoying to me. Sounds fake. I dunno, how, but it just does. It sounds like they just put on this pompous act, like they're so classy, etc; but at the same time can say complete b.s.
I can't stand British movie dialogue, unless it's Mr. Bean. I tried watching Full Monty and couldnt take more than 1/2 hour of it.
this is ridiculously reductive. there's an old English joke that English accents change by postcode (if you don't know, pretty much every block in England has a different postcode). so what you're saying doesn't really make sense.
russian is beautiful
hm, accents are different from languages.
the Japanese language is my favorite, of course, but when they speak English in a thick accent, it's just really goofy! :D
on the other hand, the French accent sounds nice, but i don't care for language....
i kinda like British accents, they're not bad
English with a Swedish accent is the most painful thing imaginable.
Quote from: sidoze on October 12, 2007, 11:52:39 AM
this is ridiculously reductive. there's an old English joke that English accents change by postcode (if you don't know, pretty much every block in England has a different postcode). so what you're saying doesn't really make sense.
russian is beautiful
can you tell whether a person is from the USA vs. UK?
that's what I mean.
Like: the Richard Burton/Peter O'Toole/Lawrence Olivier/John Gielgud English accent (even though Burton is Welsh)
Hate: The 'innit' Southern British accent. I actually like most Northern UK accents.
haha, Japanese people in my company who speak English are funny:
here's how they talk:
hmmmmm MAYBE ................. IT WILL ..................GENERATE...AN .........................................................................................ERROR AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
They take so long to phrase one sentense, that even if they say the most retarded thing, you are relieved. It's better than watching their painful struggle to spit something out.
I'm pretty happy to not be too interested or swayed by "exotic" accents. I'm happy with the choices available in my quarter of the country (Somerset, Devon, Cornish and Welsh), and due to familiarity, find them infinitely easier to understand than ones from most other regions of the UK. I basically can't understand what many people from Greater London, Newcastle, Manchester and Glasgow are saying. I have noticed that a restrained southern US accent slightly resembles a similarly restrained Somerset one, and a New York one can sound more caustic sort of like London ones can also do. If an accent is sexy to me, it's due to the way the person uses their voice, not the language itself.
Quote from: Daidalos on October 12, 2007, 12:18:16 PM
English with a Swedish accent is the most painful thing imaginable.
...I've heard English spoken in (many) Dutch accents via team speak in video games and... I really must contest your finding :D
Edit: That's about five edits. Goodness.
Quote from: marazm1 on October 12, 2007, 12:22:22 PM
can you tell whether a person is from the USA vs. UK?
that's what I mean.
sure, i can, but it's not that simple and often depends on where you come from. to take myself as an example, british people usually think i'm american or canadian; americans think i'm british or perhaps canadian; canadians, well, who really cares? :P what you wrote is senseless nonetheless.
A real British accent = very sexy
Someone TRYING to do a British accent = very annoying
I love all sorts of accents. As long as I can eventually work out the meaning, it's fine with me. Particularly fine to my ear is a strong Scottish burr, and a North Country farmer's accent. As for American accents (yes, there are dozens of them here), most of them are really quite pleasant. I can tell if you are from the Carolinas or Georgia or Florida, for example, although it isn't just the accent, it is the choice of words. Apparently I am blessed with an ear for them, colorful phrases from years ago stay in my memory forever. Which brings me to your other point: yes, within a day or two of arrival at a new place, I am subconsciously working over to speaking like the natives. Seems it can't be helped. :)
8)
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Now playing: Haydn String Quartets Op 76 - Kodaly Quartet - Haydn Quartet in d for Strings No 61 Op 76 2 1st mvmt
I love the Orcadian accent - it's very beautiful and melodious, as is a Northern Irish accent. I was talking to a native French speaker just yesterday and her accented (but very proficient) English was very lovely indeed too 0:).
Japanese is probably the most erotic spoken language on earth. When spoken by girls only, obviously.
OK, But please, north-americans or europeans you are,
don't try to speak in spanish. Is very painful to hear you.
Quote from: carlos on October 13, 2007, 04:36:40 AM
OK, But please, north-americans or europeans you are,
don't try to speak in spanish. Is very painful to hear you.
Hehe, Carlos, as I read your post, Manuel from Fawlty Towers popped into my head and spoke those lines ;D
When I was in the USA, everyone mistook me for an English person (I have a reasonably recognisable Australian accent). When I was in the UK and Ireland I seemed to blend in with the locals. When I returned to Australia after 10 years I had quite the London accent, but I am happy to report it has returned to normal. 0:)
A tall, dark, handsome man with any kind of European accent will do the trick for me (come to think of it he doesn't necessarily need to be tall, dark or handsome)..... ;D
Quote from: Daidalos on October 12, 2007, 12:18:16 PM
English with a Swedish accent is the most painful thing imaginable.
lol, so you must be saying we should be lucky that we can't hear you talk? ;D
Quote from: Bonehelm on October 12, 2007, 08:37:56 PM
Japanese is probably the most erotic spoken language on earth. When spoken by girls only, obviously.
now that i think about it...... it is......
they always have such high-pitched girly voices, i think that's half of it
Quote from: sidoze on October 12, 2007, 11:52:39 AM
this is ridiculously reductive. there's an old English joke that English accents change by postcode (if you don't know, pretty much every block in England has a different postcode). so what you're saying doesn't really make sense.
russian is beautiful
Agreed, on all counts.
Greg what accent do you speak?
Quote from: Bonehelm on October 13, 2007, 12:50:47 PM
Greg what accent do you speak?
hm, i don't know what you'd call it- just a regular American accent. A lot of my family has a southern accent, though- dad, grandma, etc.
and you?
Quote from: greg on October 13, 2007, 01:05:44 PM
hm, i don't know what you'd call it- just a regular American accent. A lot of my family has a southern accent, though- dad, grandma, etc.
and you?
Central Florida raised? No accent? Humbug! You may not sound like Larry the Cable Guy, at least not to yourself, but I bet you DO have one. :)
8)
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Now playing: Haydn Quartets, Op. 33 & 42 - Quatuor Festetics - Hob 3 41 Op 33 #5 Quartet in G 2nd mvmt - Largo e cantabile
Quote from: Gurn Blanston on October 13, 2007, 01:45:21 PM
Central Florida raised? No accent? Humbug! You may not sound like Larry the Cable Guy, at least not to yourself, but I bet you DO have one. :)
nope, not at all.
around here it's pretty metropolitan for a place that isn't a city at all (well, a LOT less where i've been living the last 6 months, which is more "southern"); so in school, everyone sounds different- it's just like a big city like New York, very diverse :)
now, if i lived with other members of my family my whole life, i'd definetely sound like Larry the Cable Guy ;D
Has anyone ever known anyone that learned a language so well, they spoke their native language with an accent, and spoke their new language like a native? :P
Hmm, how about a what do you sound like thread?
Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 13, 2007, 07:10:06 PM
Hmm, how about a what do you sound like thread?
Yes... I demand voice clips of GMG people of different accents reading set texts...
Actually no, that would be creepy as hell. :-X
(http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z245/tapiola/hovercraft.jpg)
"My hovercraft is full of eels."
Quote from: greg on October 13, 2007, 01:05:44 PM
hm, i don't know what you'd call it- just a regular American accent. A lot of my family has a southern accent, though- dad, grandma, etc.
and you?
Canadian with a slight hint of British English. I was raised in HK where they used British English but I also had lived in Canada for 7 years where they use USA English.
Quote from: Corey on October 13, 2007, 06:33:03 PM
Has anyone ever known anyone that learned a language so well, they spoke their native language with an accent, and spoke their new language like a native? :P
In all honesty, I nominate myself. I speak English in most accents I've encountered "live" easily, from a Berstein-like American accent to a "King's English" British one, and my default accent is very, very noticeably British, and somewhat "posh", too.
Whereas my accent in Greek has never been anything to write home about, somewhat influenced by the heavier inflection of consonants prevalent in the Cretan idiom (in which I am also somewhat versed), and generally "uninspiring" to say the least: you could call it "academic Greek", implying a certain sterility of inflexion.
(Although I still pronounce Greek like it's meant to be sound. I just sound a bit awkward while doing so.)
So there you have it. But I love the English language with a passion, and have suffered a lot in this country because of it: so no bragging, but I'll admit some pride. ;)
Quote from: Renfield on October 14, 2007, 12:17:04 AM
In all honesty, I nominate myself. I speak English in most accents I've encountered "live" easily, from a Berstein-like American accent to a "King's English" British one, and my default accent is very, very noticeably British, and somewhat "posh", too.
Whereas my accent in Greek has never been anything to write home about, somewhat influenced by the heavier inflection of consonants prevalent in the Cretan idiom (in which I am also somewhat versed), and generally "uninspiring" to say the least: you could call it "academic Greek", implying a certain sterility of inflexion.
(Although I still pronounce Greek like it's meant to be sound. I just sound a bit awkward while doing so.)
So there you have it. But I love the English language with a passion, and have suffered a lot in this country because of it: so no bragging, but I'll admit some pride. ;)
Well, I must say I admire your self-awareness. :)
Quote from: Corey on October 14, 2007, 05:19:11 AM
Well, I must say I admire your self-awareness. :)
Some call it vainglory, or even "pomp". But thank you for the compliment nonetheless, Corey: I really appreciate it.
Quote from: Bonehelm on October 13, 2007, 11:47:25 PM
Canadian with a slight hint of British English. I was raised in HK where they used British English but I also had lived in Canada for 7 years where they use USA English.
ah, so we have a Canadian here, hm
i have a couple of questions........
is this you?
(http://static.grupthink.com/answer/b/b890936a8376dcb480faa3233ec59a4f)
and do you live in...... Toronto?
Quote from: Renfield on October 14, 2007, 05:28:59 AM
Some call it vainglory, or even "pomp". But thank you for the compliment nonetheless, Corey: I really appreciate it.
You are, I'm sure, well aware of the ancient precept seemingly dropped from the sky that says: "Know thyself!"
Quote from: Corey on October 14, 2007, 09:50:43 AM
You are, I'm sure, well aware of the ancient precept seemingly dropped from the sky that says: "Know thyself!"
But are the others aware of it? ;)
Maurice Chevalier could seemingly pronounce English without much of a French accent. He however decided there was no mileage in it and therefore laid on the thick Gallic accent to charm the ladies.
Mike
Quote from: greg on October 14, 2007, 09:18:03 AM
ah, so we have a Canadian here, hm
i have a couple of questions........
is this you?
(http://static.grupthink.com/answer/b/b890936a8376dcb480faa3233ec59a4f)
and do you live in...... Toronto?
Vancouver. But I lived in Toronto for 4 years prior to going back to HK, then to here.
Quote from: knight on October 14, 2007, 01:57:33 PM
Maurice Chevalier could seemingly pronounce English without much of a French accent. He however decided there was no mileage in it and therefore laid on the thick Gallic accent to charm the ladies.
Mike
Hah! ;D
I like the sound of French, Italian and Spanish. Actually German too, I don't think it's an ugly language especially when sung (German opera and lieder). I think Danish sounds terrible and I'm not sure about Swedish either (some accents) nor my mother tongue Finnish. ;D
I hate it when Karajan talks. His voice is so.....ARGUH! a pain to listen to. It's so weak and sharp and dry and unsteady. Downright annoying.
Quote from: Bonehelm on October 14, 2007, 05:25:23 PM
Vancouver. But I lived in Toronto for 4 years prior to going back to HK, then to here.
ok, just making sure ;D
My favorite is the Greek accent. Zito H Ellatha!
Quote from: EmpNapoleon on October 16, 2007, 05:40:30 AM
My favorite is the Greek accent. Zito H Ellatha!
*Gah* The G- *choke* *cough* *cough*
The what!? :o
(:P)
Quote from: EmpNapoleon on October 16, 2007, 05:40:30 AM
My favorite is the Greek accent. Zito H Ellatha!
lol that's somewhere around the bottom of my list
Quote from: greg on October 16, 2007, 10:22:53 AM
lol that's somewhere around the bottom of my list
Τελ μη αμπάουτ ιτ. :o
(Tell me about it, written in Greek characters: not a translation. :P)
Although, truth be told, modern Greek itself, in its original form and when it is
not abused by so-called "modern" Greeks, does maintain quite a portion of the texture and aural qualities inherent in the ancient form of the language. And ancient Greek is fantastic.
Important Clarification: Not a Greek accent
in English, though, as that is plain
gruesome torture. Yes it is.
Quote from: Bonehelm on October 12, 2007, 08:37:56 PM
Japanese is probably the most erotic spoken language on earth. When spoken by girls only, obviously.
I went on the internet searching for Japanese friends to chat with. And I have to agree, I rather liked their voices. But JC dude, if there is an ugly Japanese girl shield your eyes! Some on the are really hot, but some are just...woaw. There are seems to be little middle ground...
Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 17, 2007, 05:55:08 PM
I went on the internet searching for Japanese friends to chat with. And I have to agree, I rather liked their voices. But JC dude, if there is an ugly Japanese girl shield your eyes! Some on the are really hot, but some are just...woaw. There are seems to be little middle ground...
which sites did you go on?
Quote from: greg on October 18, 2007, 05:07:39 AM
which sites did you go on?
did you find any fellow pokemon trainers? :P
Quote from: Corey on October 13, 2007, 06:33:03 PM
Has anyone ever known anyone that learned a language so well, they spoke their native language with an accent, and spoke their new language like a native? :P
AFAIK, that has a lot to do with the plasticity of the brain. I've read that after a certain age it is nearly impossible to develop a second language as perfect as your own native one. You may get close but it will remain, in some ways at least, a second nature forever.
I also think that has a bit to do with where you first learn the language. For people like me who learn a foreign language in their native country and then go and live somewhere where that language is native, the accent is generally here to stay. If you go to that country without knowing the language, and learn it by just living there, there is a good chance that you will not have [much of a ] foreign accent.
Over the years you do develop an accent for your native language as well, unfortunately. You do not notice it but when you go back people will tell you, or they will not understand what you're saying (which is normally the case for me anyway ;D )
Quote from: marazm1 on October 18, 2007, 08:17:06 AM
did you find any fellow pokemon trainers? :P
no, but i found a few Digimon owners....
we gathered together and unleashed our forces on Osama Bin Laden, destroying him with a Pepper Spray and Wind Gust attacks, and then at the end used the Infinite Darkness attack to secure his soul in eternal hell :)
Quote from: orbital on October 18, 2007, 10:54:19 AM
AFAIK, that has a lot to do with the plasticity of the brain. I've read that after a certain age it is nearly impossible to develop a second language as perfect as your own native one. You may get close but it will remain, in some ways at least, a second nature forever.
I also think that has a bit to do with where you first learn the language. For people like me who learn a foreign language in their native country and then go and live somewhere where that language is native, the accent is generally here to stay. If you go to that country without knowing the language, and learn it by just living there, there is a good chance that you will not have [much of a ] foreign accent.
Over the years you do develop an accent for your native language as well, unfortunately. You do not notice it but when you go back people will tell you, or they will not understand what you're saying (which is normally the case for me anyway ;D )
Indeed, and I'm not about to suggest my prowess in English (including my accent) has nothing to do with the fact that I spent a year in an English-speaking environment, around the age of eight. Yet even given that, I will not stop supporting the notion that one's incentive to learn and master something comes before all else. It might be harder to do, the older you get...
But if Karajan could - upon reaching the maximum age for flying airplanes - learn to fly a helicopter in his late 70's, then surely there is more relativity than might be usually suspected, in this issue. ;)
Mmm French girls have the sexiest voices. I think I've made up my mind. At least in English...I like how Italian girls sound but not in English...they sound horrible. And I like how Sweedish girls sound, but in English again...its horrible But French girls stay sexy when they speak in English. Plus I can talk about pronunciation for ever because there are no real rules to it. Say this word...yeah ok now say that one :)
Ohh and are French Fries really from Belgium?
Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 20, 2007, 02:37:09 AM
But French girls stay sexy when they speak in English.
i think that's why French people hardly ever learn how to speak English with any other accent besides their own
Quote from: greg on October 20, 2007, 06:01:10 AM
i think that's why French people hardly ever learn how to speak English with any other accent besides their own
What is supposed to be the point of learning to speak English with another accent besides your own???
Quote from: premont on October 20, 2007, 08:23:21 AM
What is supposed to be the point of learning to speak English with another accent besides your own???
When you travel speaking in the right accent can integrate you better into the culture.
Quote from: greg on October 20, 2007, 06:01:10 AM
i think that's why French people hardly ever learn how to speak English with any other accent besides their own
Have you HEARD the average English speakers attempts at pronouncing French words? :P It's a nightmare...
Quote from: premont on October 20, 2007, 08:23:21 AM
What is supposed to be the point of learning to speak English with another accent besides your own???
In some languages how one pronounces a certain word changes the meaning of that word.
Quote from: Nunc Dimittis on October 20, 2007, 12:40:58 PM
In some languages how one pronounces a certain word changes the meaning of that word.
exactly, so people can be understood lol
Quote from: Lethe on October 20, 2007, 11:58:18 AM
Have you HEARD the average English speakers attempts at pronouncing French words? :P It's a nightmare...
nope, but i could imagine it wouldn't be that easy given the little i do know about French...
of course i could say the same thing about English....
anyways, i'm reminded of the movie The Pink Panther, that just came out a couple of years ago ;D
Ughh Chinese girls are a no no haha. I talked to one...who is fluent in English...and English teacher in China and I could not understand 3 out of 4 words. I guess its just the way they pronounce words there, its wayyy different. She kind of sounded cool in Chinese though...
Also the word for China sounds absolutely nothing like we say it in English :)
Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 20, 2007, 10:33:52 PM
Also the word for China sounds absolutely nothing like we say it in English :)
The word for china (pots and dishes, etc.) would sound a lot more similar though.
Any female speaking any native language (minus French) are all equally sexy when speaking French; tout à fait irrésistible. :P
Quote from: Varg on October 21, 2007, 12:38:02 AM
Any female speaking any native language (minus French) are all equally sexy when speaking French; tout à fait irrésistible. :P
Mmm I don't think so :) I think I made a good French girl friend, but she is very shy :) She won't sing the spongebob squarepants theme song with me. But she has the coolest voice ever...It's soo girly and soft.... And yeah...Chinese is hard! I want to post the clip where this girl said "Im from china, beijing china" I listened to it like 20 times and I still can't copy it.
Ok whatever, what the hell :) she can't get mad if she doesn't know :)
She says Hello, nice to meet you. I am from China, Beijing China...
Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 21, 2007, 12:50:09 AM
Mmm I don't think so :) I think I made a good French girl friend, but she is very shy :) She won't sing the spongebob squarepants theme song with me. But she has the coolest voice ever...It's soo girly and soft.... And yeah...Chinese is hard! I want to post the clip where this girl said "Im from china, beijing china" I listened to it like 20 times and I still can't copy it.
Ok whatever, what the hell :) she can't get mad if she doesn't know :)
She says Hello, nice to meet you. I am from China, Beijing China...
That's because i'm used to French language and it's many accents (ever heard a Quebecois talking?!). It's really nice to hear, say, an UK girl speaking bad french with her strong accent. That's a huge turn on for me!
Quote from: Varg on October 21, 2007, 03:05:34 AM
It's really nice to hear, say, an UK girl speaking bad french with her strong accent. That's a huge turn on for me!
don't enourage them... ;D
Quote from: HandelHooligan on October 21, 2007, 12:50:09 AM
Mmm I don't think so :) I think I made a good French girl friend, but she is very shy :) She won't sing the spongebob squarepants theme song with me. But she has the coolest voice ever...It's soo girly and soft.... And yeah...Chinese is hard! I want to post the clip where this girl said "Im from china, beijing china" I listened to it like 20 times and I still can't copy it.
Ok whatever, what the hell :) she can't get mad if she doesn't know :)
She says Hello, nice to meet you. I am from China, Beijing China...
wait. was that...english? haha
Quote from: маразм1 on October 12, 2007, 12:22:22 PM
can you tell whether a person is from the USA vs. UK?
You also have an advantage of different words, used there and here. Something like petrol vs. gas, autumn vs fall, etc.
And for some reason people think I'm German. ??? Actually I studied German, but still...I've noticed that southern German and Austrian accents sound similar to a light Russian, more slavonic.
I have a strong Italian accent. Women aren't falling at my feet. Am i doing something wrong? :(
Quote from: Josquin des Prez on January 13, 2008, 01:57:52 PM
I have a strong Italian accent. Women aren't falling at my feet. Am i doing something wrong? :(
yeah, you need to lower your IQ by a hundred points and you won't even be able to get across the street.
Quote from: Josquin des Prez on January 13, 2008, 01:57:52 PM
I have a strong Italian accent. Women aren't falling at my feet. Am i doing something wrong? :(
Speak Italian with them. ;) Passionately. And they probably will.