What does English sound like to foreigners?

[Wulfhere]

Does it have that typical gutteral sound common to all the other Germanic languages, or is it different in that respect? Is it a sing-song language like Scandinavian ones, or dead-pan like German? Or does it not sound like them at all? Does it even resemble French in some way, given the influence that French has had on it? Or does it resemble none at all? And can foreign-language speakers tell the difference between an English person and an American, or even Australian, etc., when they're talking?

[Äike]

Does it have that typical gutteral sound common to all the other Germanic languages, or is it different in that respect? Is it a sing-song language like Scandinavian ones, or dead-pan like German? Or does it not sound like them at all? Does it even resemble French in some way, given the influence that French has had on it? Or does it resemble none at all? And can foreign-language speakers tell the difference between an English person and an American, or even Australian, etc., when they're talking?

English is rather similar to French and I can personally tell a difference between an Australian, an American and an Englishman.

Knowing English has been rather helpful while learning Latin. Some random statistics: If you look at the vocabulary, then Estonian is as Germanic as English, in both languages, 30% of the vocabulary is of Germanic origin.

English is the least Germanic language of all the Germanic languages, that's my opinion. It definitely isn't similar to the Scandinavian languages and it is rather different from German.

[Aces High]

Like this....if you dont speak or understand Italian then skip to 1:35.....this is fucking bizzare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KT7dM7UqBGU

[Wyn]

I am not a foreigner, but growing up I noted that English sounded like it was 'in between' French and German. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of foreigners thought the same.

[Arthur Scharrenhans]

Does it have that typical gutteral sound common to all the other Germanic languages, or is it different in that respect? Is it a sing-song language like Scandinavian ones, or dead-pan like German? Or does it not sound like them at all? Does it even resemble French in some way, given the influence that French has had on it? Or does it resemble none at all? And can foreign-language speakers tell the difference between an English person and an American, or even Australian, etc., when they're talking?

I can usually tell British and American English accents apart pretty well. Probably I couldn't tell an Australian and a British accent apart, though.

I think English sound nothing like French: yes, it has lots of French vocabulary, but it pronounces them in a very different way.

Overall, while very different from both German and Scandinavian, English still sounds 'germanic' to my ears, and extremely different from the sound of Romance languages. (I feel that British English tends to sound a bit 'more germanic' than American, but I'm not sure I can explain why.)

[mymy]

Well, I wouldn't say English sound similar to French... French sounds lovely, passionate and romantic, while English is more business language.. Speaking about tone.

Maybe some words are only similar, but only that.

To me English sound closer to German (but again not so close) than to French.

[Grumpy Cat]

Like someone simultaneously vomiting and shoving doughnuts in their mouths.

[Bloodeagle]

As an American I cannot differentiate between the various English accents of Britain and those of Australia and New Zealand, but American and Canadian English are very similar.

[Ouistreham]

English sounds just homosexual. Too much high pitched tones. And the tendency to carefully avoid any 'r' sound is awfully effeminate (unless it was meant to make English easier to Blacks, I don't know).

Less so for American English, which is less stress-timed and pronounced more evenly.

On the other hand female British English is razor sharp, very palatable and pleasant (female U.S. English is too shrill, especially in the South, and generally positively horrible).

Some English dialects may have some kind of a Germanic taste. The harshest variants of Northern and Scottish English suggest some parentage with Dutch. Maybe it was the way Olde English used to be pronounced.

English is rather similar to French

You want me to blow a fuse?!?!

[Blossom]

American English: Pretty melodic, nice and easy language to be used. Love it.

British English: Pain in the ass for its accent, just so damn funny..I usually laugh about the accent but well..