# Most beautiful language to you **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 3, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713 "2005-03-03T04:45:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/21 "2005-03-03T12:30:24Z")
I have heard the anthem “Be still, my soul” (which is sung to the tune from Sibelius’s “Finlandia”) sung in Finnish by the Helsinki University choir. At least I assume it was “Be still…” since I don’t speak two words of Finnish - but whether it was, or whether it was a laundry list set to music, it was gorgeous. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/22 "2005-03-03T13:11:25Z")
Italian ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/23 "2005-03-03T13:19:51Z")
Scots Gaelic is lovely to listen to. I also like Finnish, and Brazilian Portuguese (and find Brazilian Portuguese to be much nicer than Portuguese Portuguese). ---
**Author:** ![emekthian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecae2f/32.png) [@emekthian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emekthian)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/24 "2005-03-03T13:44:41Z")
Russian is beautiful. I particularly like the /S/ and /Z/ sounds.[Verdurian](http://www.zompist.com/verdurian.htm), a conlang created by Mark Rosenfelder, is also very beautiful (probably because it sounds a lot like Russian). I also really like Quenya and Spanish. Spoken German and Hebrew sound very cool, but for a different reason. They’re a lot harsher, with lots of back fricatives, rounded front vowels and uvular /R/. I really like that phonology, but I wouldn’t call it beautiful the same way Russian or Quenya is. I think French is ugly as sin (all those ugly nasalized vowels-ugh!), and I don’t understand why people find it beautiful or romantic. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/25 "2005-03-03T13:51:47Z")
[hijack] A German, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, and an Englishman are walking through a meadow arguing about the relative merits of their respective languages. A butterfly flies past them, and the Englishman says, “Gentlemen, see: here is a wonderful example of the expressiveness of English. The word ‘_butterfly_’; does it not capture the way this creature moves through the air?”. The Frenchman replies, “Ah, but in French, the word ‘_papillon_’ almost perfectly expresses the delicate nature of the animal.” The Spaniard says “These are fine words, no doubt, but gentlemen, consider ‘_mariposa_’: this beautiful word is, you must concede, nearly a perfect match for the beauty of the creature.” There’s a pause, and they all turn to look at the German, who says, “Und so vas ist wrong mit ‘_Schmetterling_’?” [/hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/26 "2005-03-03T14:01:14Z")
> [@rackensack](#): > > [hijack]“Und so vas ist wrong mit ‘_Schmetterling_’?” > [/hijack] That;s funny! I think you have to be either German or a linguist to like that joke. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/27 "2005-03-03T14:03:27Z")
Russian, of course. But I’m biased, because that’s my major. Close runners up are: -Greek. It’s much prettier than its main competition, Latin; it just flows much better. -Coptic. It’s all vowels and softness, plus it has the feel of all those great Egyptian names you learned in school. -Lao. I once knew a Lao girl, and could have listened to her talk in this language forever. Even yelling matches between her and her mother sounded pleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/28 "2005-03-03T14:04:15Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > Having said that English as spoken by Richard Burton (originally from South Wales) … sublime ! Ditto for Anthony Hopkins (also from the same area as Burton). ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/29 "2005-03-03T14:13:34Z")
I’m Brazilian so my opinion might seem biased… yet I still find Brazilian portuguese quite nice to listen too and too speak… if the accent isn’t too heavy. I don’t know if written language counts… but I think English is the best language for written sagas and stories. The choice of words and constructions are great. ---
**Author:** ![MacTech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/30 "2005-03-03T14:19:39Z")
hmm…i’m partial to… Klingon…no wait, that’s not right maybe it was Sebecean, naah, that’s just backwards English… Elvish, yeah, Elvish that’s it, no wait, it’s a nonexistent language okay, of the real languages, i’d have to say Japanese ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/31 "2005-03-03T14:21:40Z")
Italian! ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/32 "2005-03-03T14:24:20Z")
I find it interesting that so many people here are putting Spanish down as beautiful. I personally have always detested the language. I find Portuguese (especially Brazilian \) to be much more pleasant. I guess I just love sibilants and diphthongs. Vowels! Give me more vowels! French is good in that respect, as well, but Italian is not. Despite being of Italian descent myself, I’ve never liked the language that much. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/33 "2005-03-03T14:32:23Z")
> [@Mycroft Holmes](#): > > That;s funny! I think you have to be either German or a linguist to like that joke. 😃 Hey, schmetterling is perfect. It sounds _just like_ you’ve just chewed up and spit out a butterfly. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Rashak\_Mani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@Rashak\_Mani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rashak_Mani)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/34 "2005-03-03T14:33:30Z")
Once you speak Portuguese… Spanish seems like it lacks certain sounds. Sound wise its more simple than Portuguese. It might have the romantic connotations… but it still sounds stunted to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/35 "2005-03-03T14:38:38Z")
> [@yBeayf](#): > > I guess I just love sibilants and diphthongs. Vowels! Give me more vowels! Well, Brazilian Portuguese is perfect for that. Even something simple like “Eu não sei” (“I don’t know”) contains three dipthongs and only two consonants. And the most beautiful Brazilian word “saudade” contains one dipthong, two other vowels, a sibilant, and just one lousy normal consonant! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/36 "2005-03-03T14:40:38Z")
> [@Duderdude2](#): > > I wonder, does anyone who doesn’t speak English find it to be attractive or “beautiful” as the OP put it? > > To me, it’s clunky and ugly sounding, butI’ve been speaking it my whole life. But I am interested to know if people unfamiliar with it find it pleasing to listen to. Actually, I came in here to say English. English is my love. But other than that, secondary would be Japanese. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/37 "2005-03-03T15:01:07Z")
> [@Cat Jones](#): > > Quite a few votes for Urdu here. Although I _may_ have heard Urdu in the past (Bollywood films tend to be in Hindi do they ?) I didn’t know it. > > Where can I listen to a sample ? Would listening to the BBC news in Urdu put me off ? Any suggestions ? You might want to try the Hindi/Urdu programmes on BBC’s Asian Network – [link](http://www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork/schedule/) I will add that in my opinion, whilst Urdu is the beautifullest language, the Scottish accent is very very sexy. ---
**Author:** ![EmeraldGrue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dc4da7/32.png) [@EmeraldGrue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmeraldGrue)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/38 "2005-03-03T16:36:35Z")
**Ancient Greek**. Liquid, beautiful, and a sublime philosophical vocabulary. I could have listened to my ex-bf read his Greek exercises aloud for ages. And sweet-talk. “Συ φιλώ…” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/39 "2005-03-03T16:38:08Z")
French, Spanish, Italian–all the romance languages. Gorgeous! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713/40 "2005-03-03T16:58:34Z")
As a singer, I enjoy singing in Latin. Once you learn the pronounciation, it is easy, and it sounds very nice. German, on the other hand, is a royal bitch to get right. But, when you get a full chorus singing a major German work, and they ALL get the pronounciation right, it sounds like nothing else on earth (“Jauchzet, Frohlocket”)! Otherwise, I am not a very big fan of singing either French or Spanish, although both sound lovely spoken. I have sung in Russian (Mussorgsky) - the lyric was spelled out phonetically – difficult and interesting to hear. I have also sung a number of short folk songs in Hebrew. Hands down, though, the most difficult language I have ever sung was Swedish. With most of the languages I have sung in, even if you don’t know the language, the various phonemes are more or less familar, and, more importantly, occur in various parts of the phrase with some sort of order that is, to an English speaker, more or less predictible. Swedish might as well have been Martian! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-beautiful-language-to-you/292713.md?page=3)