# 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:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![VanillaGorilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f9ae1b/32.png) [@VanillaGorilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanillaGorilla)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/41 "2009-12-18T14:17:32Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > Just to underscore how obsessed I am with this song, I just did this. Now we can all sing along. You’re welcome. Awesome. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/42 "2009-12-18T14:28:56Z")
And of course all the Brits will remember the Fast Show’s Channel 9 news: Scorcio! [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1iX7AIhV8w) ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/43 "2009-12-18T18:36:30Z")
[QUOTE=Moe] awsome! [/QUOTE] > [@VanillaGorilla](#): > > Awesome. 😃 Thanks! > [@Nava](#): > > Oh, and I think Celentano speaks English. Did you happen to run across any Youtube videos where he was speaking English? I didn’t, so I just assumed he didn’t know any. ---
**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/44 "2009-12-18T19:36:17Z")
Little tidbit of information. Adriano Celentano claims to have invented rap, of all things, with this song. I’ll have to dig for a cite, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/45 "2009-12-18T22:12:56Z")
> [@Ranchoth](#): > > What, like [this?](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414TmP12WAU) ‘‘What do you say we make apple juice and fax it to each other’’ 😕😛 Holy crap that was weird. > [@Nava](#): > > You mean you guys are now saying you’ve never heard [this song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XubVpeq4E20)? > > Aserejé ja de je > de jebe tu de jebere > seibiunouva majavi > an de bugui an de güididípi > > is what the opening lyrics of [Rapper’s Delight](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6gD_CwF5YM) sound like to a Spaniard who don’t speakee no English: > > I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie > to the hip hip hop, a you dont stop > the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie > to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat > > Oh, and I think Celentano speaks English. That is a catchy little song. This whole thread is a kind of a head trip. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2009, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/46 "2009-12-19T00:39:01Z")
Ok, following all the links on youtube, I have seen some hilarious attempts at English by non-English speakers. So funny, oh my God, why does it tickle me so. After one of the videos of fake English gibberish, one of the commenters said "lol. as a hilarious prank, i’m gonna teach my 1 yr old this instead of english! she’s gonna be so punked. " ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/47 "2009-12-20T20:46:40Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > Did you happen to run across any Youtube videos where he was speaking English? I didn’t, so I just assumed he didn’t know any. Why would there be videos of Celentano speaking English on Youtube 😕? I doubt there’s any of, say, the Cano brothers, both of whom do speak English but whose career has never involved the English-language market (their group Mecano was one of the biggest Spanish-language hit-rollers of the 80s and 90s, they’ve got one of those “come, you already know all the songs” [musicals](http://www.hoynomepuedolevantar.com/hnmpl/) - noisy link). I’ve seen more than one interview with foreign artists who speak Spanish but not enough for an interview, too. They can get a hotel room, food, directions; they can’t discuss the subtleties of their work. In some cases, they can get that subtle if they’ve been speaking Spanish lately, but not if they’re in the middle of a promotional tour through half of Europe. Viggo Mortensen’s Spanish is native, but I once saw an interview with him on Spanish TV in English, under “haven’t spoken Spanish in yoinks” circumstances; when he did speak in Spanish, it was with a heavy “foreign” accent which he didn’t have after spending a few months in Spain. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/48 "2009-12-20T21:13:01Z")
**Nava** , _Asereje_ is one of my favorite guilty pleasure songs, but I never realized it was supposed to sound like English. It just sounds like gobbledeygook. ---
**Author:** ![Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@Ellis\_Aponte\_Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellis_Aponte_Jr)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/49 "2009-12-20T21:38:45Z")
The beginning of “Rappers’ Delight” hardly sounds like English either. I could tell right away what they were doing with "Aserejé (back when it came out) since the cadence of the two songs is similar. ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2009, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/50 "2009-12-20T22:28:39Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Why would there be videos of Celentano speaking English on Youtube 😕? I don’t know, but you said… > [@Nava](#): > > Oh, and I think Celentano speaks English. …so I figured you must have heard him speaking English, and that Youtube would be the most likely source. Unless you’ve seen him on TV, or know him personally or something. > [@Nava](#): > > I’ve seen more than one interview with foreign artists who speak Spanish but not enough for an interview, too. They can get a hotel room, food, directions; I can do that in a few languages, but I don’t consider myself to “speak” all those languages. I guess it’s a matter of a choice of phrasing. ---
**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 20, 2009, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/51 "2009-12-20T23:33:37Z")
> [@cuauhtemoc](#): > > …so I figured you must have heard him speaking English, and that Youtube would be the most likely source. That’s a logical assumption. As an example, [this is a rare brief clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5RZ8pF-utg) of **Ofra Haza** speaking English and apparantly her speaking English was quite a surprise to even huge, know-everything-about-her fans. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/52 "2009-12-21T02:35:59Z")
Can’t help thinking of the wonderful [Benny Lava.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA1NoOOoaNw) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/53 "2009-12-21T03:33:05Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > 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. I think it’s just following in the footsteps of the greats and a musical genre stylization. For example, [That’s Amore](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aS6-b7CONDI) or [Mambo Italiano](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S-7Ap6J_FU&feature=related) are similar examples from the American perspective. Although, if the lyrics are meaningless, then that’s still sort of similar to opera parodies I have heard that involves the singer/comedian substituting an Italian menu for the real lyrics… “Spaghetti Bolognese, Risotto Milanese, Calamari fritti, Baaaaakked Ziti!” This is what the Germans think the Italians sound like (Sicilians): [Hot Nights in Palermo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7Jk9_YpK7I&feature=PlayList&p=D5AED233B2D1277B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=39) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/54 "2009-12-21T03:54:39Z")
And this is what The Americans sound like to the Germans: [Helden](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0hkPufaunQ) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/55 "2009-12-21T05:01:06Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > 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.” But is this really what the singer thought _Americans_ sound like, or is it what he believes the **Brits** sound like? Personally I’m of the opinion that the singer was taught English by a teacher very specifically from England and perhaps influenced by the BBC, and that the song is really in a dialect of British English. It’s obviously modeled after Brit Pop (sounds like Tom Jones). My cite is 14 seconds into the video when he pronounces “Prisencolinen Sinainacusol” with a decidedly British accent as the headmaster. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2009, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/56 "2009-12-21T09:11:09Z")
Well, it’s complicated, because if Adriano Celentano is imitating Tom Jones, Tom Jones imitated American singers like Elvis Presley. I hear a drawl in a lot of Celentano’s vowels, meaning he’s imitating an American blues style. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2009, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645/57 "2009-12-22T09:33:36Z")
An a very old example of the genre: Dutchman singing “Italian”: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZ1O9g8448) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ha-what-english-sounds-like-to-those-who-dont-speak-it/521645.md?page=2)