# Any sounds in other languages that can't be distinguished in English?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sounds-in-other-languages-that-cant-be-distinguished-in-english/665481>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 6, 2013, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sounds-in-other-languages-that-cant-be-distinguished-in-english/665481 "2013-08-06T09:36:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 8

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**Author:** ![Aquilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aquilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aquilla)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sounds-in-other-languages-that-cant-be-distinguished-in-english/665481/141 "2013-08-10T19:53:36Z")

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> [@AaronX](#):
>
> I know some languages can’t distinguish “R” and “L”. Or “N” and “L”. I’ve heard Japanese doesn’t distinguish “B” and “V”. As a user of English, I like to think it spans the set of the sounds of all languages (Mathematically, it is a [basis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basis_%28linear_algebra%29) for the set of sounds. Or maybe not a basis, since there is some overlap.) Is there any basis to this belief? The only counter I can think of is maybe tones in Chinese.
> 
> Actually, some English speakers don’t seem to be able to distinguish “V” and “F”.

Completely anecdotal, but seems relevant to OP. I speak serbian; my boyfriend speaks only english.

He can’t hear a difference between the two kinds of ‘ch’ sound in serbian. The wiki calls them [voiceless alveolo-palatal affricate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_alveolo-palatal_affricate) and [voiceless palato-alveolar affricate or domed postalveolar affricate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voiceless_postalveolar_affricate). (I had a semester of linguistics few years ago and forgot all of it, so that doesn’t mean much to me :D)

Basically, č and ć sound exactly the same to him. I don’t know if this is true of all native-english speakers.

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sounds-in-other-languages-that-cant-be-distinguished-in-english/665481/142 "2013-08-10T20:08:37Z")

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Tet and taf in Hebrew.

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**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-sounds-in-other-languages-that-cant-be-distinguished-in-english/665481/143 "2013-08-10T20:17:14Z")

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> [@Aquilla](#):
>
> Basically, č and ć sound exactly the same to him. I don’t know if this is true of all native-english speakers.

It’s true of at least 1 other. See post #91 upthread!

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