# Ha! What English sounds like to those who don't speak it! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645 "2009-12-17T15:56:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/1 "2009-12-17T15:56:19Z")
I listen to a lot of foreign-language music and don’t understand the lyrics, so [this is a fascinating and hilarious look/listen](http://bakadesuyo.com/what-english-sounds-like-to-foreigners) at how English must sound to those who don’t speak it. As it says on the blog: > [@](#): > > “An Italian singer wrote this song with gibberish to sound like English. If you’ve ever wondered what other people think Americans sound like, this is it.” ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/2 "2009-12-17T16:06:24Z")
I can’t access this at work, but I’ll have a listen at home. I remember on the Tonight show when an actor (I recall it being Ricardo Montalban, but others have held it to be someone else) said that to Spanish-speaking people, English sounds like Dogs Barking. He then gave a rendition of “Fake English by a Spanish Speaker”. I have to admit that it had the cadence and general effect of English. And it did remind me of barking dogs. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/3 "2009-12-17T16:14:40Z")
So basically we all sing kinda like Elvis. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/4 "2009-12-17T16:15:06Z")
That was…weird. And actually kind of catchy! But definitely weird. “OLL RAIGTH!” ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/5 "2009-12-17T16:15:12Z")
I have a thing where I can’t follow lyrics in songs. My brain just automatically ignores the words as being irrelevant. The sound sounds normal to me, which I guess means that he succeeded. But of course it means that it doesn’t sound funny to me at all. Not a bad song though. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/6 "2009-12-17T16:18:07Z")
That’s pretty cool. To me it sounds like English, just doesn’t have any (or has very few) recognizable words. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/7 "2009-12-17T16:26:14Z")
Heh…very catchy, and just short of being understandable. In other words, it could chart right now! It definitely brought [this _Onion_ story](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33632) to mind. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@The\_Evil\_Prince\_Zorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Evil_Prince_Zorte)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/8 "2009-12-17T16:32:54Z")
One thing that helps is he did a pretty good job of singing the gibberish with an American accent. Getting the right sounds for the vowels is a big part of making it convincing. Since it is a rock song, he could be even more convincing by not speaking clearly. It’s hard enough to understand real English lyrics sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/9 "2009-12-17T16:34:45Z")
I found myself inserting real words. Especially the “all right” but even throughout the song I was mentally writing words to it. Up and coming generational song. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/10 "2009-12-17T17:11:01Z")
That is hilarious!When doing an “American” accent, all the Brits I know automatically do a western drawl so I guess Italians perceive us that way too. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/11 "2009-12-17T17:13:40Z")
Kinda sounds like someone who mumbles karaokeing a James Brown song. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/12 "2009-12-17T20:12:49Z")
Sounds like Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/13 "2009-12-17T20:19:13Z")
Reminds me of the fake Spanish Chris Tucker was yelling in _Friday_. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/14 "2009-12-17T20:19:42Z")
That’s actually rather charming. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/15 "2009-12-17T22:00:20Z")
Not bad. I’d also suggest the[closing theme from WKRP in Cincinatti](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8uH76COzk8). ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/16 "2009-12-18T00:37:02Z")
Glad you all like it! I was delighted when I found it. I love the dancing too. > [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Heh…very catchy, and just short of being understandable. In other words, it could chart right now! > > It definitely brought [this _Onion_ story](http://www.theonion.com/content/node/33632) to mind. I also agree that it’s a very catchy song and could be a chart hit. I love that Onion article, and the WKRP link (thanks **kunilou** ). [QUOTE=Gary T] That’s pretty cool. To me it sounds like English, just doesn’t have any (or has very few) recognizable words. [/QUOTE] That what The Cocteau Twins used to do. Before she started singing real lyrics, Elizabeth Fraser would just make up words. It was pretty wonderful, and I treated them like foreign language songs, would sing along phonetically. Here’s a beautiful example, very pretty song too: [Pandora](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAckMJd8zlA). One of those types of songs is used in **The Lovely Bones** trailer, called [Alice](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kd4_NcnPfto), which was originally in the film **Stealing Beauty**. And oh hell, as long as I’m now on a Cocteau Twins kick, here are a few more. [Aikea Guinea](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEpeZm_f1Zk). [Carolyn’s Fingers](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qh83z5vIP0w). [Pitch The Baby](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBzwWgFzggw). [Pearly Dew Drops Drops](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5dlOeNl4zg). [Cicely](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G34_4hvASA4). [The Thinner The Air](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e36gVuRVCA). [Millimillenary](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-utqLZpQHA). Here’s a couple of English-language songs. “Song To The Siren” (Tim Buckley cover) by Elizabeth/This Mortal Coil ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/17 "2009-12-18T00:44:04Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > That’s pretty cool. To me it sounds like English, just doesn’t have any (or has very few) recognizable words. So, it’s Bob Dylan, you’re saying? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/18 "2009-12-18T00:50:46Z")
That’s great. I intend to play that in the background for guests, then ask them what they thought of the lyrics. I recounted ages ago what my Welsh-speaking friend said, aged 5, about how English people sounded like to her: “shing shelane a home on all a daze.” ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/19 "2009-12-18T00:59:24Z")
That was a good tune and the video was pretty cool too. I definitely would have believed it was English if you told me it was, but I couldn’t understand it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Angel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d26b3c/32.png) [@Johnny\_Angel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Angel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/20 "2009-12-18T00:59:51Z")
If the writer didn’t understand a lick of English, I’m impressed. The cadences and the phonetic catalog are spot on. Mostly, at least. At times I couldn’t tell if a little strangeness in enunciation were due to the singer’s native accent coming through, or affectations of something like Dylan. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645.md?page=2)