Easy language to pronounce for German speakers

D-fens   Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:15 pm GMT
I wonder what is the easiest language for germans to pronounce (not to learn!), i thought about Italian and Dutch or what do u think?
bubbus   Sun Jun 28, 2009 4:23 pm GMT
English?
Commonaswhole   Sun Jun 28, 2009 5:07 pm GMT
Most Germans have a strong accent when speaking Dutch, so I have to disagree on that.
D-fens   Sun Jun 28, 2009 5:25 pm GMT
Ok, was just a thought because Dutch people don't seem to have problems with German pronounciation.
name   Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:16 pm GMT
everybody does have a strange accent while speaking a foreign language. I don't know why are the Germans so special...
K. T.   Sun Jun 28, 2009 8:51 pm GMT
Even if a German has a strong accent, American English speakers can understand him/her.

I wonder if British English or Norwegian would be easier for German speakers. Some Germans can manage Dutch, but were some telltale words (shibboleths) that gave them away during World War II I've read.
K. T.   Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:15 pm GMT
I've heard what sounds like British English from German actors.
Commonaswhole   Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:52 pm GMT
In my experience, Germans have trouble pronouncing our 'r' (evil letter), our vowels 'ui', 'eu' and 'ij' (which few languages have) and our g.

Actually most foreigners struggle with these sounds.

Very still, Germans don't have any problems attaining a fluency in our language and claim its easy. That should come to no surprise, as mainly false friends are tne major problems for Dutch and High German speakers to learn each other's language.
Commonaswhole   Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:57 pm GMT
Germans actually have our 'eu' sound, but then as a 'ö'. I guess the fact they pronounce it as their own 'eu' is psychological. Most Germans who don't leave a strong accent learned it from young age, others most leave a very strong accent.
Anyway, nothing wrong with their accent of course.
encore   Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:18 am GMT
Maybe French? German "r" is similar to French "r" , German ö= French eu ,"sch"="ch" and so on.
Commonaswhole   Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:20 pm GMT
Perhaps, but this is how French sounds with a German accent by the way;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq6l-YGBwXo
D-fens   Tue Jun 30, 2009 5:21 pm GMT
So it ain't good or what?
canadien   Thu Jul 02, 2009 10:58 pm GMT
J'aime cette chanson du Helmut fritz Commonaswhole, j'aime son accent aussi. les Allemands et leurs accents ne m'enervent pas.
cnalb   Sun Jul 05, 2009 5:59 pm GMT
For a German pronouncing Italian is quite easy
boz   Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:37 am GMT
Non, en général les Allemands n'ont pas un accent très marqué quand ils parlent français. Beaucoup moins en tout cas que les Italiens ou les Espagnols, qui parlent pourtant des langues proches (comme quoi, ça n'a rien à voir).
Lorsque des étrangers arrivent à parler français presque sans aucun accent, ce sont la plupart du temps des Allemands.

Overall French pronunciation is fairly easy for a German.