What makes a language beautiful to you?

Fassa Albrecht · #1 12-09-2008, 10:48 AM

As the title says.

Basically I've entered a translation competition where we all translate a passage of English into our chosen languages and record a spoken passge. We're then marked on the language's beauty and elegance.

But what makes a language beautiful to you?

BTW, I'm entering a Latin translation.

tplyons · #2 12-09-2008, 10:51 AM

I don't find languages beautiful. It's accents and dialects that are.

Butchered French sounds worse than well spoken Polish.

Needless to say, I tend to be very fond of Eastern European languages, and a lot of sub-Saharan African languages are fascinating.

wilser · #3 12-09-2008, 10:52 AM

I love the cockney accent on a chick.

bwv1013 · #4 12-09-2008, 10:52 AM

the dame speaking it.

Phalex · #5 12-09-2008, 11:31 AM

Well, I'm not sure how to explain it really. I guess, I don't consider German (or Klingon for that matter) to be particularly beautiful. Perhaps they're just too guttural?

I would consider Frisian to be beautiful if for no other reason than it's lilting sing song type of quality.

I'm not real hip to the atinlay.

SteveC · #6 12-09-2008, 11:33 AM

The girl speaking it. When I listen to Selma Hayek speak - English or Spanish - I melt.

MakiSupaStar · #7 12-09-2008, 11:34 AM

It really depends on whose speaking it. For instance, a sexy asian chick speaking perfect queen's English is like butter. A sexy Japanese chick whispering Japanese in your ear on the pillow beside you is butter. A sexy korean chick speaking korean to you in quiet conversation the bathtub is butter. A sexy chinese chick speaking mandorin, or cantonese to you while you eat strawberries off her butt is butter.

Atoz · #8 12-09-2008, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bwv1013

the dame speaking it.

+1. This is what I was going to say, more or less.

CapnSev · #9 12-09-2008, 11:36 AM

I always thought Serbian was the best language of all.

Atoz · #10 12-09-2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

I always thought Serbian was the best language of all.

This thread just got interesting.

MakiSupaStar · #11 12-09-2008, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

I always thought Serbian was the best language of all.

**Vorago** · #12 12-09-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CapnSev

I always thought Serbian was the best language of all.

cdef · #13 12-09-2008, 11:43 AM

I'd say primarily the kind of idiomatic expressions and turns of phrase that don't translate effectively. There's a specific logic to them that can be beautiful to discover. Dialects of one and the same language can have those as well.

ED: Not talking about how a language sounds when you understand nothing, but about how it 'feels' when you're getting into it. I think that's what the OP meant.

Marcus · #14 12-09-2008, 11:46 AM

+1 on the dame speaking it. I never knew I had a thing for being yelled at in tagalog until my girlfriend.

I personally like Japanese because of the way it sounds.

Deacon_Blues · #15 12-09-2008, 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MakiSupaStar

It really depends on whose speaking it. For instance, a sexy asian chick speaking perfect queen's English is like butter. A sexy Japanese chick whispering Japanese in your ear on the pillow beside you is butter. A sexy korean chick speaking korean to you in quiet conversation the bathtub is butter. A sexy chinese chick speaking mandorin, or cantonese to you while you eat strawberries off her butt is butter.

I once knew an Italian girl and she didn't have a particularly beautiful voice. However, I once heard her speak Italian on the phone, and suddenly her voice became very beautiful! So I'm with Maki and the rest answering "the girl that is speaking it" on the OP's question.

Other than that, I'd say it's among other things the ratio of vowels versus consonants. The more vowels the more beautiful. Also, harsh and nasal sounds makes it worse, that's why I don't think russian or hebrew are very beautiful languages. German contains too many consonants, but for example Italian, Spanish, Finnish and Japanese are softer sounding and more beautiful to my ears. But in the end it comes down to the person speaking...

TheDarkReaver · #16 12-09-2008, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilser

I love the cockney accent on a chick.

You're a strange person.

Perhaps you should start watching Eastenders.

theshadow2001 · #17 12-09-2008, 12:00 PM

I don't see language as beautiful but a means of communication and having such a variety of languages as a hindrance to that communication. I'm all for having the planet just speak one language, which in time will most likely be English.

rap138 · #18 12-09-2008, 12:00 PM

portuguese, brazilian portuguese even better. the endings of verbs makes everything sound sexy and the series of vowels together gives a certain melody to it.

Marcus · #19 12-09-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

I don't see language as beautiful but a means of communication and having such a variety of languages has a hindrance to that communication. I'm all for having the planet just speak one language, which in time will most likely be English.

theshadow2001 · #20 12-09-2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus

Fantastic use of language there marcus