From what I've listened too...

[Grant A.]

Is it just me, or do Germanic/stress-based languages just plain suck at songs, save for rock and metal, when compared to syllable-based languages like Spanish and Arabic?

[cariboo]

I may just be you, I understand high German, and I find that songs sung in german quite interesting eg: 99 Luft ballons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYQTFudrqc)

[mobilediesel]

I may just be you, I understand high German, and I find that songs sung in german quite interesting eg: 99 Luft ballons (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYQTFudrqc)

While I am far from fluent in anything but English, I agree that German works quite nicely in that song. I only find it odd that "99 Luftballons" was translated to "99 Red Balloons" in English. Luft in German != red in English.

[loomsen]

While I am far from fluent in anything but English, I agree that German works quite nicely in that song. I only find it odd that "99 Luftballons" was translated to "99 Red Balloons" in English. Luft in German != red in English.

Actually I'd really want to know how german sounds like for people who don't understand it. Hard to imagine if you understand it ^^ Tried and failed, hrhr

However, compared to the german treasury of words/way to express things english is pretty rudimentary.

I guess it really has a lot to do with comprehension...

[mobilediesel]

Actually I'd really want to know how german sounds like for people who don't understand it. Hard to imagine if you understand it ^^ Tried and failed, hrhr

However, compared to the german treasury of words/way to express things english is pretty rudimentary.

I guess it really has a lot to do with comprehension...

I can understand a few words here and there when I hear someone speak German. Even French and Spanish. I did attempt to study Spanish once. I probably learned more while watching PBS when they played BBC shows.

It was weird when I was watching an episode of "Chef!" from the BBC and I understood most of a conversation that was in French. I couldn't repeat what I heard but I knew most of what was said. In that episode, Gareth Blackstock was in France for a cooking contest. He misplaced the English wine that he brought to cook his main dish. He went to a place that sold wine and asked for English wine. The shopkeeper asked if he meant wine with English on the label. He told him no that he wanted wine MADE in England. I have no idea how I actually understood them.

[loomsen]

:)

Actually, I've learned english watching wrestling and jay leno :D

OK, plus I've been born in romania and learned both romanian and german. And as romanian is very close to latin, it's pretty much the same for me. I understand spanish and italian, guess due to learning romanian and german native plus english, french and latin in school :)

Still, props to jay leno :D my basic english teacher.

*edit*

OOPS, what I wanted to say:

I like any of the languages above, but I hate russian and turkish for instance, I don't understand any russian/turkish word tho.

[darthmob]

All germans talk and sing like that (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDTI8nlRVHg). :D

[mobilediesel]

:)

Actually, I've learned english watching wrestling and jay leno :D

OK, plus I've been born in romania and learned both romanian and german. And as romanian is very close to latin, it's pretty much the same for me. I understand spanish and italian, guess due to learning romanian and german native plus english, french and latin in school :)

Still, props to jay leno :D my basic english teacher.

*edit*

OOPS, what I wanted to say:

I like any of the languages above, but I hate russian and turkish for instance, I don't understand any russian/turkish word tho.

Based on that source for English, you wouldn't speak the language any worse than the rest of us Americans. :)

I think we should really learn at least 4 languages by the time we graduate from high school. Maybe then the world wouldn't think us quite so ignorant. Latin, Spanish and Italian do have similarities. English and German do share some word origins, as well.

I wonder if I can find some free software for learning new languages...

[itreius]

Lies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQGgougd-Ig


English and German do share some word origins, as well.That's quite an understatement. They share a lot more than just "some word origins", although to a speaker of just one of those two languages it might seem as if they do not belong to the same group of languages.

[DMcA]

Also an understatement that "Latin, Spanish and Italian do have similarities". Spanish and Italian are both direct descendants of Latin. The relationship between German and English is less straightforward

[mobilediesel]

Lies!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQGgougd-Ig

That's quite an understatement. They share a lot more than just "some word origins", although to a speaker of just one of those two languages it might seem as if they do not belong to the same group of languages.

Yeah, that kinda WAS an understatement. German and English definitely had common ancestry. It most likely used to be one language but diverged and evolved into more separated languages. I say "most likely" only because most languages were spoken long before they were written. That makes it difficult, at best, to point to a specific time when various languages were developed.

[Grant A.]

Yeah, that kinda WAS an understatement. German and English definitely had common ancestry. It most likely used to be one language but diverged and evolved into more separated languages. I say "most likely" only because most languages were spoken long before they were written. That makes it difficult, at best, to point to a specific time when various languages were developed.

At the very base, English, German, Dutch, Frisian, Danish, Scots, Icelandic, Swedish, and Norwegian all came from the hypothesized "Proto-Germanic language".

Two things that set the Germanic languages apart from the Romance languages are the "th" sounds.

[The Real Dave]

Is it just me, or do Germanic/stress-based languages just plain suck at songs, save for rock and metal, when compared to syllable-based languages like Spanish and Arabic?

I dont find German anymore coarse then English. When spoken by a German person, it just sounds natural.

If you want a nice sounding language, Gaelige is what your looking for.

Learning Gaelige (Irish) through German (http://www.klammeraffe.org/~brandy/gaelic/Kurs/index.html)

Song in Irish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhKKLwvBLjc)(first thing I could find on Youtube :P) just so you can hear what its like :D


Its seriously a beautiful language :D

[elderbuy]

I'm an American. Took some Latin and German in high school or college. Also had a few lessons in French and Spanish. Being a typical American, I can't use any language except American English. But my point is that the instructors in all four of the other languages claimed that 60 % of English comes from the language that they were teaching. That accounts for only 240% of the English language.

The reason is, of course, that, as several of you have pointed out, many of the western European languages have common roots in either the Germanic or Romance languages, so there is a lot of overlap. And American English is very much a hodge podge because of the immigrations from many countries.

BTW, I most definitely am NOT a linguist, so if any of you wants to correct anything I said, feel free.