What Does English Sound Like to Non-Native Speakers (Before & After Learning)?

qh777

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Does it sound like Dutch without some sounds that English doesn't use?

 
Doesn’t sound Dutch or any Germanic language but typically English. English has a unique sound.
 
It’s interesting how the consonant r is pronounced in both sides of Atlantic: The rhotic accents and the non-rhotic accents. The non-rhotic accents are more common in Britain mainly in England and Wales, and less common in US. As example of strong non-rhotic accent is the cockney accent speaked by singer Adele in her first interviews in the beginning of his career.
 

To me sounds a lot like a drunk person speaking English. His accent and pronunciation sound like an English speaker.
 
Sounds Dutch to my ears rather than English. Old English sounds very Germanic though.

Here is video of someone speaking Old English. As a German speaker it sounds much closer to Standard German than modern English.


English has a complicated history that’s why it sounds unique. French had a profound influence on the English language and changed it sound to some degree.

By the way, the Video in the original post is probably the best it can get to real modern English. I have a difficult time distinguishing it from a real conversation in English.
 
Sounds Dutch to my ears rather than English. Old English sounds very Germanic though.

Here is video of someone speaking Old English. As a German speaker it sounds much closer to Standard German than modern English.


English has a complicated history that’s why it sounds unique. French had a profound influence on the English language and changed it sound to some degree.

By the way, the Video in the original post is probably the best it can get to real modern English. I have a difficult time distinguishing it from a real conversation in English.
Yes, I've seen another one where Ecolinguist has 3 German speakers try to understand Old English.


The German guy in the middle with the red pullover (bottom in the thumbnail) seems to have a better time figuring it out because he speaks a bit of Frisian as well.

As for me very little is understandable just a few words here and there.
 
Sounds Dutch to my ears rather than English. Old English sounds very Germanic though.

Here is video of someone speaking Old English. As a German speaker it sounds much closer to Standard German than modern English.


English has a complicated history that’s why it sounds unique. French had a profound influence on the English language and changed it sound to some degree.

By the way, the Video in the original post is probably the best it can get to real modern English. I have a difficult time distinguishing it from a real conversation in English.
As for that video the first sentence written I could understand most of it except I thought it read as: "I have 26 horses in my house" That would be quite an interesting living arrangement. lol. If it were only spoken, I'd only understand "Hus" and "Ic" as House and I.

The second sentence I only undestood "handa" as hand. The rest was not understandable spoken or written.
 
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