What language do you enjoy listening to others speak?
For me, it’s Spanish. It has a beautiful, lyrical quality to it that I find oddly compelling. I took Spanish all four years of high school and my first three years of college, but today I can barely make heads or tales of it from lack of use (I live in Springfield, Illinois fer Chrissake!). I do, however, remember one remarkable phrase: ¡Percibe la nieve! Fornica.
Spanish just screams SEX. I could listen to a Spanish-speaking woman talking about her stock portfolio and it would still sound sensous (or is it sensual?).
I also listening to people speaking Cajun. It almost sounds as if they’re singing rather than speaking.
The one I wanted to speak as a child was Norwegian. That’s what I thought they spoke on the TV show “I Remember Mama”. Barbara Bel Geddes played Katrin as a girl.
Privet, Pucette! Chasto tusuyeshsya zdes’?
(trans: Hi there Pucette! Come here often? ;))
I’d have to agree on the Russian, especially since that’s what I speak with my lovely SO, but even before we met I found it a very sexy (and subtle, and humorous) language.
I’m also quite partial to the sound of Polish; it’s just similar enough to Russian that I can make out what people are talking about (if not what exactly they’re saying), and has lots of intriguing sibiliant and explosive consonants. It might also be related to the general sexiness of Polish woman…
Oh my GOD!! I LOOOOVE Russian!!! I took it last year in highschool. It was so much fun. I loved listening to my teacher read stories in Russian. I could listen to it all day. It really is a beautiful language. Writing it is even more fun. sigh I really miss that class.
Do svidanya!
Swedish. It’s both fun and challenging for a native English speaker to learn. And the prosidy is almost impossible to describe. I’ve actually lain awake nights trying to work out how one would describe the sound of spoken Swedish…the Muppet show really didn’t get it right with the Swedish Chef. Norweigan sounds “mork mork” to me; Swedish does not!
The ultimate Romance language! I had a gentleman in the SCA kiss his way up my arm, murmering in Italian. sigh It didn’t even matter that what he was actually saying after awhile was actually a wine list.
Any Romance language does it for me, and I’ve taken a liking to sung Latin …
But I’m really posting to say that this thread reminds me of A Fish Called Wanda. If you haven’t seen it, go rent it! Sexy foreign languages, Kevin Kline, John Cleese, Julia Roberts…
Especially if he’s wearing a dark pin-striped 3 pc. suit. black shirt, white tie and a camel colored top coat DRAPED OVER HIS SHOULDERS and looked like a 35 yr. old ARMAND ASSANTE.
German. I used to think it was gutteral and harsh, but once I started learning it, I loved the way it sounded. Those huge long nouns made up of strung-together words! The way they use “aus”! The presence of a lot of “Z” sounds! Gets me every time.
I also love hearing people speak hindi. Like listening to music.
I set about learning French some years ago, and I’m fluent now. I think my attraction to it had a lot to do with the way it sounds. Actually being able to speak it helps, I guess.
For sheer beauty, I also love Portuguese and Cantonese. I can hack through written Portuguese to a certain extent, but I’m mostly lost when it’s spoken. Portuguese is one of the richest and sexiest languages I’ve ever heard. Bossa Nova’s Portuguese roots only make sense. I don’t understand a word of any version of Chinese, but I love to hear it, too. (Not as much as Portuguese, though.)
I like the rhythm of German. The stereotype is that Germans are humorless, but I’ve never found this to be so, and I find their language reflects their whimsy. Plus its grammar is such a powerful tool: much more powerful than English or Romance grammar.
I agree with rastahomie about the compelling lyrical quality of Spanish. Spanish spoken right can rival (but never beat) Portuguese, in my book.
I want to be able to comment on Latin, but regrettably I haven’t yet studied it much. Its relevence to English and most other Western languages makes it too big a fish to ignore.
Sometimes I forget which one is supposed to be foreign to me, but I love spanish. I wanted to learn it since I was three years old and finally got around to starting in high school. Until then I had to satisfy myself by counting to ten like I learned from Sesame Street.
I’m going to put in another vote for Russian - the scene in “A Fish Called Wanda” is the reason I elected to study it, and it makes me sad that I have already forgotten so much of it.
I also like Kiswahili. It sounds like a very friendly language, I think.
Has anyone heard Hawaiian? It’s a wonderful, expressive language - I don’t speak or understand it, but I love to hear it. It is rhythmic and gentle, and when sung, liquid and haunting.
