What language is easiest for Spanish Speakers to understand?
Yes, to me Continental Portuguese sounds strange as well, but
Brazilian Portuguese (especially its standard dialect - from Brasília) sounds very nice, and I can understand most of it. Here in Argentina we can watch many Brazilian TV channels and in Brazil they watch our tv channels, w/no translation needed... (Much Music and MTV Latina are preferred by Brazilians since MTV Brasil is only into rock music, and MuchMusic and MTV Latina are more into dance stuff Brazilians love)...
This is the end of this discussion.
----------Brennus, Moderator
Japanese is the closest to spanish
<< Japanese is the closest to spanish >>
No, Basque is the closest to spanish, then russian (siberian dialect).
-----------Brennus, Moderator
This is the END of this discussion.
LAA
««Personal taste varies from person to person. When I said Portuguese sounds "strange", it was just my personal opinion, from my experience.»»
Strange is a personal taste? What is your experience?
««And I can't understand very much of it when spoken, because it is so radically different from how it looks on paper, at least if you were reading it as you would in Spanish.»»
I also think Spanish is so radically different from how it looks on paper.
At least when I try to read it as if it was Portuguese. I also tried to read Spanish as if it was French just to findout how it would sound and it was also so radically different fron what was on paper.
Now, I am going to try to read Spanish as if it was English and I hope it does not sound different from what is on paper.
««It sounds like a strange admixture of French, Spanish, and Slavic languages when spoken.»»
hahah It could not have a more European sound than this!! Adds north south and East Europe accents, how nice!!
Sorry, I meant to say this is only the BEGINNING of the discussion.
It is well-known that after the Iberians settled in the British Isles and that therefore the English are really only Spaniards in disguise, they went on to sail to Leningrad where they multiplied with Olgas and the like, had great fun and a lot of vodka and told the ladies to come and see them in Iberia whenever possible.
Then during the last Ice-age when you could practically ski to Spain, sorry, Iberia, the women and their kids got lost and ended up in an unknown place. They called it S-Iberia which later became Siberia.
This explains why the languages spoken hence and thence often sound so similar to the untrained ear and many people will swear that Portuguese sounds just like Russian or Russian just like Portuguese if you want to make a fine point.
I hope that herewith I have given a fine example of sticking to the topic and not deviate into non language related matters like how the frollicking and the vodca drinking went on in Saint Petersburg.
This is how I want to see all other threads here dealt with and for once and for all I advise that I will not tolerate any more German threads which I can't understand.
Brennus*
SPANISH IS CLOSEST TO CATALAN.
END OF SESSION.
Brennus,
I absolutely agree with your message. Excellent historic informations and they can be added to my great knowledge of Occitan, German, Dutch etc.
About German, it can never be tolerated : immediatley delete all languages I (King Brennus I) can't understand.
I am superior and therefore I dictate.
-------Brennus , Moderator
<< SPANISH IS CLOSEST TO CATALAN.
END OF SESSION. >>
what is Catalan ? It's a new term ? In the US we haven't heard of Catalan. It's better call it by the real name : swedish.
-------------Brennus, Moderator
This is the result of the survey for a unique official European language that can represent most language:
1st place:Portuguese - sounds like: German, Russian, French, Spanish in equal parts.( makes happy Slavic, Germanic and Romance speakers)
2nd place Romanian - sounds like Italian and Russian in equal parts.(makes happy Slavic and Romance speakers)
2nd place Danish- sounds like Swedish and Norwegian.(makes too cold)
2nd place Swedish- sounds like Danish and Norwegian.(makes too cold)
2nd place Norwegian- sounds like Danish and Swedish.(makes too cold)
2nd place Spanish - sounds like Italian and Greek not in equal parts.( makes happy Greek and Romance speakers)
3nd place English - sounds like German and French in not equal parts.( makes French and German speaker fight over the language)
3nd place Catalan - sounds like Spanish and French ( still fighting over it)
4th place French - sounds only like French.
5th place German - sounds too much like German.
6th place Greek - hardly anyone can read or speak.
7th place Dutch - sounds almost like German.
guest,
"Spanish - sounds like Italian and Greek not in equal parts.( makes happy Greek and Romance speakers)"
This statement is so true. Greek sounds similar to spanish, due to the hiss pronunciation of -s-, etc. Italian sounds similar to spanish because, both are basically 5 open vowels (=although, italian has 7 WHILE latin has/had 5).
Good post!
Portuguese sounds like Portuguese - not German or Russian.
I agree. I'm from Honduras Central America, and I live in Montreal. I have lots of Portuguese speaking friends whom I understand perfectly well when they speak to me in Portuguese - they understand me perfectly as well. Portuguese surely has its own accent which sort of resembles a cross between Spanish and French, but not Slavic or Germanic languages?? Come on now. A little like Arabic at times....perhaps.
No, it does not sound like Arabic at all. I think it sounds a lot more like Catalan and Basque.