I would say Scotsmen.
Worst People At Speaking English?
Koreans, Italians.
They would love to, they try very hard, but they can't.
They would love to, they try very hard, but they can't.
<<In Europe, the French are probably the worst at speaking English aloud, perhaps partially because they don't care.>>
I think its mostly because they don't care; there's even a lot of blatant animosity towards the English language in France. The french, more than most other people/nations, take great pride in their language, so there's no perceived prestige in learning a language they subconsciously regard as inferior to their own. There's simply no incentive for them to improve/perfect their English so they don't.
I think its mostly because they don't care; there's even a lot of blatant animosity towards the English language in France. The french, more than most other people/nations, take great pride in their language, so there's no perceived prestige in learning a language they subconsciously regard as inferior to their own. There's simply no incentive for them to improve/perfect their English so they don't.
<<Brazilians. Eye donty eespeaky welly...>>
With Brazilians its either very good, or very bad.
In Brazil I think its merely a question of education, since speaking english well is very highly regarded there - so much so that claiming to speak English is perceived as bragging. The average Brazilian's english is god awful due to deplorable educational opportunities available to them, but rich, well educated Brazilians have often blown me away by their knowledge of English.
With Brazilians its either very good, or very bad.
In Brazil I think its merely a question of education, since speaking english well is very highly regarded there - so much so that claiming to speak English is perceived as bragging. The average Brazilian's english is god awful due to deplorable educational opportunities available to them, but rich, well educated Brazilians have often blown me away by their knowledge of English.
I think that in general, French people speak English very well, as do Germans. I'd dare say that the best foreign speakers of English are the scandinavians, who speak excellently.
I disagree that you can say that French people speak English badly because they don't try. If the reason that their English is bad were that they didn't try, then you can't include French people in this argument. Take the Indonesian Mentawai tribe, for example. They don't speak English at all, and probably are unaware of the existence of the language. Does this mean that they can be counted in the argument because they don't try?
<< I think that speakers of non Germanic languages don't have advantages over others in order to speak English, not matter how rich or poor their native tongue's phonetic repertory is. >>
I disagree. You'll find that the structure of English, and a lot of everyday phrases used actually come from French. Granted, a lot also come from German, but I find French so, so much easier than German simply because it's a lot easier to know what to say, and how to structure phrases.
Anyway, to answer the question, I would say that Japanese people's english pronunciation is bad, from my personal listening experience. This is, as somebody mentioned before, because of the numerous consonant clusters that exist in English, whereas such clusters do not exist in Japanese.
I disagree that Chinese speakers' English is difficult to understand - yes, they might have a strong accent, but I think that in general, their English accents are very understandable, and they speak better than the Japanese. This is a very 'sweeping' statement, as I know fully that there are Chinese speakers who speak English so badly that they cannot be understood, and Japanese speakers who speak English with no accent at all.
I disagree that you can say that French people speak English badly because they don't try. If the reason that their English is bad were that they didn't try, then you can't include French people in this argument. Take the Indonesian Mentawai tribe, for example. They don't speak English at all, and probably are unaware of the existence of the language. Does this mean that they can be counted in the argument because they don't try?
<< I think that speakers of non Germanic languages don't have advantages over others in order to speak English, not matter how rich or poor their native tongue's phonetic repertory is. >>
I disagree. You'll find that the structure of English, and a lot of everyday phrases used actually come from French. Granted, a lot also come from German, but I find French so, so much easier than German simply because it's a lot easier to know what to say, and how to structure phrases.
Anyway, to answer the question, I would say that Japanese people's english pronunciation is bad, from my personal listening experience. This is, as somebody mentioned before, because of the numerous consonant clusters that exist in English, whereas such clusters do not exist in Japanese.
I disagree that Chinese speakers' English is difficult to understand - yes, they might have a strong accent, but I think that in general, their English accents are very understandable, and they speak better than the Japanese. This is a very 'sweeping' statement, as I know fully that there are Chinese speakers who speak English so badly that they cannot be understood, and Japanese speakers who speak English with no accent at all.
Hmmm...I think that if French, Spanish and Italian people don't speak English well is a good point for their languages.
On the other side, Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians speak English very well. So, German, Dutch or Swedish are useless languages.
On the other side, Germans, Dutch and Scandinavians speak English very well. So, German, Dutch or Swedish are useless languages.
the spanish are the worst , no doubt . i can honestly say i've never heard anyone from spain to speak english right , not even on tv , or actors.
but rich, well educated Brazilians have often blown me away by their knowledge of English
//
rich, well educated Indians have often blown me away by their knowledge of English
no wonder 10 % of medical doctors in the US are Indian
these are no poor kinds from the slums but sons and daughters of
Indian aristocracy and/or millionaires
and what's the percent of Brazilians doctors in the US,
0.000000001%?
//
rich, well educated Indians have often blown me away by their knowledge of English
no wonder 10 % of medical doctors in the US are Indian
these are no poor kinds from the slums but sons and daughters of
Indian aristocracy and/or millionaires
and what's the percent of Brazilians doctors in the US,
0.000000001%?
<<You'll find that the structure of English, and a lot of everyday phrases used actually come from French.>>
FAUX.
La similitude posée par la structure d'anglais et du Français est plutôt une de la coïncidence et pas du contact de langue.
<<Granted, a lot also come from German>>
Également incorrect pour les mêmes raisons.
FAUX.
La similitude posée par la structure d'anglais et du Français est plutôt une de la coïncidence et pas du contact de langue.
<<Granted, a lot also come from German>>
Également incorrect pour les mêmes raisons.
Kelly: "but rich, well educated Brazilians have often blown me away by their knowledge of English "
I actually lived with Brazilian roommates twice in graduate school. I am always guessing that their proficiency comes from the underlying Celtic root. As dissimilar as they may be, English and Portuguese do share some common development. If you listen to Portugal's Portuguese today, you'll notice also that they are dropping all the final "-e"s (which are still pronounced in other Portuguese-speaking countries.) Both languages also have open-close vowel contrast for /e/ and /o/. One of my Brazilian roommates could pass by a US-native. Yes, Americans get blown-away, because in their minds, Brazil is just another "Hispanic" country that provides illegal immigrants. In their minds, Brazil is the same as Mexico.
I actually lived with Brazilian roommates twice in graduate school. I am always guessing that their proficiency comes from the underlying Celtic root. As dissimilar as they may be, English and Portuguese do share some common development. If you listen to Portugal's Portuguese today, you'll notice also that they are dropping all the final "-e"s (which are still pronounced in other Portuguese-speaking countries.) Both languages also have open-close vowel contrast for /e/ and /o/. One of my Brazilian roommates could pass by a US-native. Yes, Americans get blown-away, because in their minds, Brazil is just another "Hispanic" country that provides illegal immigrants. In their minds, Brazil is the same as Mexico.
<<the spanish are the worst , no doubt . i can honestly say i've never heard anyone from spain to speak english right , not even on tv , or actors. >>
I've never seen an English speaking Spanish right either, not even those human trash who live full-time in Costa del Sol .
I've never seen an English speaking Spanish right either, not even those human trash who live full-time in Costa del Sol .
>>I've never seen an English speaking Spanish right either, not even those human trash who live full-time in Costa del Sol . <<
Yeah, I have heard unflattering things about the British trying to speak Spanish (Castellano or Espanol).
But then again, I live in Texas and there are some things that I can say perfectly in Spanish around here, but people in Spain may not feel that way- because Spanish in my area is influenced by Mexico.
Same for one of my brother-in-laws, who went on a mission to Guatemala, he had to adjust to speaking to Mexicans. He's fluent. I wonder just how well someone from Spain would think about his spoken Spanish... :-)
My friend Rosa was born in Mexico and raised on and off in Texas and her family's ranchero in Mexico. But she has a hard time talking to someone who isn't from Mexico. She can't understand Cubans, and even my in-laws are tricky...but then again, I keep hearing that Puerto Rican Spanish is extremely fast.
Yeah, I have heard unflattering things about the British trying to speak Spanish (Castellano or Espanol).
But then again, I live in Texas and there are some things that I can say perfectly in Spanish around here, but people in Spain may not feel that way- because Spanish in my area is influenced by Mexico.
Same for one of my brother-in-laws, who went on a mission to Guatemala, he had to adjust to speaking to Mexicans. He's fluent. I wonder just how well someone from Spain would think about his spoken Spanish... :-)
My friend Rosa was born in Mexico and raised on and off in Texas and her family's ranchero in Mexico. But she has a hard time talking to someone who isn't from Mexico. She can't understand Cubans, and even my in-laws are tricky...but then again, I keep hearing that Puerto Rican Spanish is extremely fast.
It's pretty much like some have already suggested. If someone's native language doesn't have many sounds, s/he is at a slight disadvantage when learning English.
It's a good idea to get children accustomed to hearing other languages at an early age.
It's a good idea to get children accustomed to hearing other languages at an early age.
Beathag: "I keep hearing that Puerto Rican Spanish is extremely fast."
Well, my best memory goes for Gloria Estefan's "Conga" song. She is Cuban-American, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4A50EHwCjY
Well, my best memory goes for Gloria Estefan's "Conga" song. She is Cuban-American, though.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4A50EHwCjY