# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/41 "2013-08-10T16:05:24Z")
Korean. People speaking always sound pissed off. ---
**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, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/42 "2013-08-10T16:07:12Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > Korean. People speaking always sound pissed off. I thought that was just because Koreans always _are_ pissed off? ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/43 "2013-08-10T16:42:04Z")
“[Danish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_language#Sound_system) is not a language; it is a disease of the throat.” —popular saying in Scandinavia > [@WordMan](#): > > We chuckle at home about how it’s _Butterfly_ in English, _Papillon_ in French, _Mariposa_ in Spanish…and _Schmetterling_ in German… And _farfalla_ in Italian. Italian is so easy to like. 🙂 The German word for nipples is _Brustwarzen_ (literally ‘breast warts’). You can imagine Hitler barking that word, like a command, to Eva Braun, but nobody could actually use it for romancing. As for Arabic, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Portuguese, Russian, Tamil, Telugu, and Turkish, they all sound beautiful to me. _Especially_ Finnish. I’m puzzled how anyone would not like those. In Cleveland back in the 1980s, on the ethnic radio station, the announcer on the Hungarian program was Kathy Kaposi. I used to love listening to her speaking Hungarian and would tune in just for that, even though I couldn’t understand the meaning. She sounded like soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/44 "2013-08-10T16:42:12Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > As a consequence of this I really hate Portuguese. It just sounds wimpy, without edge. Al wussy sort of zzzzjjjj sounds. Ew. Portuguese is just Spanish with all the good letters removed and some extraneous “shwush” randomly inserted. That said, I don’t mind it at all after living there for a couple of years. Interesting comments on the Nordic languages; most Swedes and Danes speak better English than most Americans, and usually have a third language, such as German, for good measure, IME. I have a Dutch friend who came to the house with her visiting relatives from the old country. It was mostly incomprehensible conversation between them, sounding like an interim language that had split off from German, but has not yet reached English. Chinese is the only language that is grating to my ear, however. I speak none, but the intonation irritates my auditory nerve. ---
**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, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/45 "2013-08-10T16:46:59Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Chinese is the only language that is grating to my ear, however. I speak none, but the intonation irritates my auditory nerve. It’s just that the Chinese are so LOUD, as anyone who has spent a night in a traditional old Chinese hotel can attest. No need for an alarm clock, I’ll clue ya. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/46 "2013-08-10T17:10:44Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > It’s just that the Chinese are so LOUD, as anyone who has spent a night in a traditional old Chinese hotel can attest. No need for an alarm clock, I’ll clue ya. I’ve noticed that with other native tonal language speakers as well. My pet theory is that it’s hard to distinguish changes in pitch at low volume, so speakers of said languages end up talking more loudly then speakers of other languages to make themselves clear. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/47 "2013-08-10T18:07:43Z")
> [@Blackberry](#): > > And I hate French. It’s not UGLY really, it just sounds obnoxious. French, it is a funny tongue. It sounds fine until the speaker gets to an _r_ and then it sounds like a cat coughing up a hairball. That uvular _r_ just ruins it for me, and the nasal vowels don’t help much either. I wouldn’t call it the ugliest language of all, but in my book it’s probably the ugliest Romance language. ---
**Author:** ![Kiyoshi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e19adc/32.png) [@Kiyoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiyoshi)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/48 "2013-08-10T18:58:04Z")
Many Native American languages sound like someone slowly choking to death on a fish-bone. Take [Tlingit](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9Y_1gg5Ki8), for example, the language that Klingon was based on. But without a doubt, the world’s ugliest “language” is [Scouse](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHfIAoF8gEc). (Yes, I live in Liverpool…) ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/49 "2013-08-10T19:11:59Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > “[Danish](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danish_language#Sound_system) is not a language; it is a disease of the throat.” > —popular saying in Scandinavia > And _farfalla_ in Italian. Italian is so easy to like. 🙂 > > The German word for nipples is _Brustwarzen_ (literally ‘breast warts’). You can imagine Hitler barking that word, like a command, to Eva Braun, but nobody could actually use it for romancing. > > As for Arabic, Finnish, Hebrew, Hungarian, Portuguese, Russian, Tamil, Telugu, and Turkish, they all sound beautiful to me. _Especially_ Finnish. I’m puzzled how anyone would not like those. In Cleveland back in the 1980s, on the ethnic radio station, the announcer on the Hungarian program was Kathy Kaposi. I used to love listening to her speaking Hungarian and would tune in just for that, even though I couldn’t understand the meaning. She sounded like soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof. i find that there is no reason to use vulgar or profane language when you have ordinary german words you can throw in. drop a dish of oatmeal, look at the mess and say schmetterling! it’s fun and educational! ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/50 "2013-08-10T20:22:49Z")
Brooklyn. ---
**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, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/51 "2013-08-10T21:11:48Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > Brooklyn. Oh dear god yes especially the way my late mother spoke it. Almost Fran Drescher awful. I love and admire Russian culture, food, art and literature but I grew up in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn hating the way the language sounded. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/52 "2013-08-10T21:24:50Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > French, it is a funny tongue. It sounds fine until the speaker gets to an _r_ and then it sounds like a cat coughing up a hairball. That uvular _r_ just ruins it for me, and the nasal vowels don’t help much either. I wouldn’t call it the ugliest language of all, but in my book it’s probably the ugliest Romance language. Now, I like the French language, and I speak it all the time, living in a predominantly French area… but I agree, the snorted “r” sound miffs me a bit. (The nasal vowels don’t actually bother me at all.) (I hope none of my francophone friends ever find this post… :eek:) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/53 "2013-08-10T22:10:56Z")
Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul. Orcish is pretty ugly. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/54 "2013-08-10T22:22:07Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > [Hard to argue](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_xUIDRxdmc). > > [Even if you try](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YQAYEmwBvs). > > [And try](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDWw_0deJ3c). [**Bart Simpson**](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjcmnPYR2Uo). ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/55 "2013-08-10T22:25:46Z")
I also don’t really like the rolled/trilled “r” sound in languages, but maybe just because I’m jealous that I’m the only person on the face of the earth who can’t do it. ---
**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, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/56 "2013-08-10T22:33:12Z")
> [@Batistuta](#): > > 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: > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-mOy8VUEBk](http://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 I think Dutch sounds less pretty than Danish ([here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C06wH2e68g) a good video in which to compare them - it’s a Dutch TV article about the Danish show _Borgen_ - containing segments of both languages) - Dutch always sounds a bit goofy to me - like everything that’s said is the buildup to a punchline. ---
**Author:** ![GovernmentMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@GovernmentMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GovernmentMan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2013, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/57 "2013-08-10T23:48:29Z")
Anyone who says anything other than a Southeast Asian language is ignorant or lying. Thai, Vietnamese, Hmong, Lao, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Arrendajo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Arrendajo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrendajo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/58 "2013-08-11T00:39:09Z")
> [@Martian Bigfoot](#): > > 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.) When I was in China, all the music videos and music I saw on television were subtitled with Chinese characters. I thought it odd and asked my Chinese friend about it and he told me it was difficult to understand sung Chinese because the tones were obscured by the melody. Some common phrases and such could be understood without tones, but a song that’s telling a story sort of needs the characters to help it along. I would think tones could be incorporated into rap music. I haven’t listened to much Chinese rap though. ---
**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 11, 2013, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/59 "2013-08-11T00:45:42Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztGBF7WzzsI) Tell me the language the women are speaking in this excellent film isnt beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836/60 "2013-08-11T02:38:15Z")
1940s American English isn’t exactly the most sonorous. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/bjCF_ZBTngY/hqdefault.jpg "WWII Newsreel - 1943 Japanese Footage From China, Sino-Japanese War") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjCF_ZBTngY) [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9IM3DCjUWQ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugliest-language-on-the-face-of-the-earth/665836.md?page=4)