Re: Fake English

Nate Branscom wrote:
> I sometimes perform the act of babbling gibberish in an attempt to
> sound as if I'm speaking another language (i.e., German, Chinese, etc.)
> There exists a certain "signature" in each language attributed to
> dialect, accent, physical gesture, et al.
>
> I have heard others do this, but I've never heard English "faked".
> Does anyone, here, know of any resources where I may find such an
> example?

Someone (French or German or Russian: I don't remember which) once told
me that English sounds like the croaking of frogs. The Web says that
English sounds or sounds like:

"Popcorn popping fast and hard on the stove" - A Spanish-speaker in
Miami

"Kapreech! Kapreech! Kapreech!" - A Swahili-speaker

Barking dogs - Russia; Vietnam; China

Ducks (American English) - People in Fuzhou, China

Speaking with a mouth full of hot potatoes - A Russian; A Pole or
Czech; a Belgian; a German; various unidentified nationalities

"Rehrrehrrehr" for British English; the same but "more whiney and
annoying" for American English - The Netherlands

"A lot of odd pronounced R's (funny) ... rrrthhing..rrrrthhht thh
corndog..wingy...wang...serrbuaterarry....yeah..." - A Russian

"A continued sibilation" - Dr Johnson

Frogs (American and Australian English); "harsh and very vulgar"
(British accents other than RP) - A German (who says that the French
think the same)

"Slippery" - A Spanish-speaker

"Wa-wa-wa-wa-wa" - A French person

"Sexy" - Various unknowns

"Kinda bubblegum-ish" - Unknown

"Sticky" - Unknown

"Irritating male cats singing outside my window in spring" (American
English); "skipping" (British English) - Unknown

"Very slippery, like trying to hold a wet, squirming fish" (English and
Scottish accents) - Unknown

"Kind of itchy" - Unknown

-- Vinny

.

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