# Ugliest language on the face of the earth **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 9, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836 "2013-08-09T21:16:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![slm2955](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c6cbf5/32.png) [@slm2955](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slm2955)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/21 "2013-08-10T04:29:22Z")
All are great ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/22 "2013-08-10T04:46:33Z")
I think Cantonese is a lot better sounding and a lot more colorful, than Mandarin. Its especially beautiful when spoken by a woman. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/23 "2013-08-10T05:39:37Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > For those of you saying Mandarin, I think it was a typo and you meant Cantonese. Mao on a pogo stick, that’s an awful sounding language. Famous throughout China as being a loud nasty language. Yeah, Cantonese. It makes me anxious listening to it because the conversations sound like the speakers are snapping at each other all of the time. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/24 "2013-08-10T07:12:48Z")
I agree with the OP. Swedish sounds like an elegant touring car; a Pierce-Arrow or Hispano-Suiza. Danish sounds like a Trabant that needs a tuneup very badly, and lost a run-in with a Copenhagen garbage truck. ---
**Author:** ![Namkcalb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Namkcalb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Namkcalb)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/25 "2013-08-10T07:58:54Z")
I vote Cantonese Chinese. Here’s what passes for [melodic Cantonese](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbkmKz9eSEc). ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/26 "2013-08-10T08:05:22Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > Here’s what passes for [melodic Cantonese](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbkmKz9eSEc). Actually, that reminds me of something completely unrelated that I’ve been meaning to ask: How do you sing in a tonal language? I mean, without messing up the tones? (BTW, I think Cantonese sounds fine, even beautiful, from the little I’ve heard of it.) ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/27 "2013-08-10T08:48:11Z")
> [@Namkcalb](#): > > I vote Cantonese Chinese. > > Here’s what passes for [melodic Cantonese](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbkmKz9eSEc). How about Tamil and 2 more south Indian languages - Telugu, Kannada. [Song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcY5TBmOHxA)in Tamil. Dont ask me the meaning, I don’t understand anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/28 "2013-08-10T08:49:06Z")
I’m struggling to find any language that I would consider really ugly - I’ve spent time in Denmark and I don’t really find Danish unpleasant to hear - it’s true that it sounds strange to anyone familiar with (say) English, French, Spanish and German - Danish sounds a bit like a friendly variant of Klingon I mean, can you really hate [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9jrCIAB4Mg)? ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/29 "2013-08-10T08:51:55Z")
The music, singing and picturization of that song are fantastic, but what about the language? ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/30 "2013-08-10T10:33:50Z")
i don’t see how a language can be ugly, and even guttural languages need not be voiced like you’re in the middle of a parade square. /throws a look at **Amateur Barbarian** > [@China\_Guy](#): > > For those of you saying Mandarin, I think it was a typo and you meant Cantonese. Mao on a pogo stick, that’s an awful sounding language. Famous throughout China as being a loud nasty language. really? if anything i thought the stereotypes were that Mandarin is shrill and rhotic, Cantonese is sarcastic and Hokkien has colourful swear words. > [@Namkcalb](#): > > I vote Cantonese Chinese. > > Here’s what passes for [melodic Cantonese](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbkmKz9eSEc). a crappy rap song? how about this one? chosen at random from a favourite artist - [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjF5gwBJcMY](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjF5gwBJcMY) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/31 "2013-08-10T11:05:12Z")
Whatever the merits of Cantonese and Mandarin, both are waaaaay more pleasant than Vietnamese. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2013, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/32 "2013-08-10T12:17:40Z")
It’s funny, I actively like more harsh sounding languages, to me they sounds more empathic, more colourful. I love Arabic, like German and Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, other variants) and have nothing in particular against Danish. of As a consequence of this I really hate Portuguese. It just sounds wimpy, without edge. Al wussy sort of zzzzjjjj sounds. Ew. ---
**Author:** ![Fluke54](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@Fluke54](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluke54)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/33 "2013-08-10T12:31:06Z")
My husband speaks German, and whenever I hear him speak the language, he always sounds angry or that he is trying to make a very important point. It isn’t one of the prettiest languages around, admittedly. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/34 "2013-08-10T13:19:25Z")
I’ll +? to the Mandarin vote. There is a Chinese movie titled **Let the Bullets Fly**. One of the odd things in this genuinely weird movie is the language. The movie is set in the 1920’s so the Mandarin they use, I suppose, is dated but I swear at times, what’s coming out of the actor’s mouths sounds more like animal noises than human ones. One character in particular sounds like he’s combined braying with a Chewbacca impression. It is absolutely bizarre and I have to say I’ve never heard anything like it. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/35 "2013-08-10T14:06:20Z")
Not in any particular order, but I could do without hearing: Portuguese, Cantonese, Hungarian & Turkish. German isn’t exactly pretty but it always gives me the giggles (I have no idea why) so it’s in the “like” column. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/36 "2013-08-10T14:08:00Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Whatever the merits of Cantonese and Mandarin, both are waaaaay more pleasant than Vietnamese. Which is waaaaay more pleasant than Khmer. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/37 "2013-08-10T15:02:42Z")
Hebrew only sounds good to me if sung. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/38 "2013-08-10T16:01:18Z")
I have to ask the Danish guy to try to say something nice in Danish. I’m used to Mandarin, and on Hong Kong airlines, a smattering of Cantonese. They’re not terribly bad. I speak a bit of German. Not bad at all. I love Russian women speaking Russian! I can’t stand Thai. Especially women speaking Thai. God damn, it’s the most whiney, obnoxious sounding language in the world. It always sounds like people are weeping. ---
**Author:** ![Batistuta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/58956e/32.png) [@Batistuta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batistuta)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/39 "2013-08-10T16:02:47Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I mean, can you really hate [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9jrCIAB4Mg)? It’s hard to hate that particular Danish **speaker**. In fact, it’s hard to hate many female Danish speakers if you see what I mean. But my favourite video about the Danish language would have to be this one: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/s-mOy8VUEBk/hqdefault.jpg "Danish language") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-mOy8VUEBk) I mean, even Danes\* themselves make fun of the craziness of their language \*Sure, the video is made by Norwegians. But it’s fun to pretend that it’s Danish ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/40 "2013-08-10T16:03:31Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > I think Cantonese is a lot better sounding and a lot more colorful, than Mandarin. Its especially beautiful when spoken by a woman. Agreed. For ugliest sounding, I vote Finnish. I was stuck in taxi once for an hour with two older Finish ladies and I almost killed myself. I do agree that Dansk can’t hold a candle to either Norsk or Svenska. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836.md?page=3)