Language - Jezebel

posts about #language more →
A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
Dude, Where's My Vocabulary?
Oh, Fuck It.
What Words Would You Send To The Word Graveyard?
Why Cursing F*cking Rules (And When It Doesn't)
"Ms." Dates Back To 1901
On George Tiller And The Profound Power of Language
Does It Really Make Sense To Bleep Out Swears On Television Anymore?
What's In A Name? Quite A Lot, Says Science
Adam's Off Ox To Zed

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rah29
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
Do any of you feel different around different accents, even within English or your native tongue? I have Wandering Accent Syndrome as a result of being a transatlantic hobo for a lot of my life. I feel far more lyrical and relaxed and even fanciful in the presence of Irish accents (especially given that my accent tends to switch to reflect the one I'm hearing most). The Brits make me feel self-conscious, and Americans make me feel businesslike or direct. I can't be a poet in an American accent and I need a protective layer of irony when I sound British. As for the Irish... well let's just say I feel very much like I can't do a lick of work with an Irish accent, but I can certainly drink and rip the piss out of people.

ETA: I will say that I am much, much funnier, and much meaner, in an Irish accent than I am in any other!
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Edited by rah29 at 10/28/09 8:05 PM rah29 was starred rah29 was unstarred

casi nadie (loves MCC forever)
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
I've been studying Spanish for half my life, and portuguese for the last couple of years. I've never particularly analyzed how vowel sounds make me feel, but I have analyzed the different instances of vowel sounds. Portuguese has many more sounds than Spanish, and it's definitely more entertaining to learn (although it's fucking my Spanish the hell up). #languageandemotion
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missteenwordpower
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
American-ly (or U.S.ishly), I really only speak English, with six years of Spanish and one year of Italian classes rolling around in my head not doing much. I did grow up in southern California, however (where every other street and city has a Spanish name), so I pronounce Spanish well, even if I can't say much with it. I've recently moved to Austin, which being in Texas also a Spanish influence, made evident in its street and city names. Except in Texas, unlike in California, they are ALL pronounced in English. So, in California, "Cabrillo" is "cab-REE-oh"; "La Jolla" is "la HOY-ah", and so on--in Texas, "Guadalupe" is "guad-a-LOOP"; "San Jacinto" is "san juh-SINtoh".

This absolutely sets my teeth on edge, nails-on-a-chalkboard style, every time I hear it. I love the English language: I love how enormous and acquisitive it is, I love the way it sounds, and I've never heard significantly more music in any Romance language than I have in effective spoken English. But shoehorning that squeaky nasal "ay" into words that call for a Spanish "ah"? THAT is ugly. And it makes me crabby.

Rant ended.
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rah29 promoted this comment Edited by missteenwordpower at 10/28/09 5:18 PM missteenwordpower was starred

rah29
10/28/09

@missteenwordpower: As a French speaker though, I always struggle with whether or not to pronounce French names correctly, especially in restaurants. Every cell in my body screams to pronounce 'croissant' properly, but I don't want to sound like an utter ponce! #languageandemotion
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Everything MidnightBikeRide does is a balloon.
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
This isn't about the sounds themselves, but NPR had a great piece on how the grammar of your native language affects the way you see the world :
[www.npr.org] #languageandemotion
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IndigoCharm
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
Russian is my first language, and sometimes I do act slightly differently when speaking it, but this is generally because Russian culture and attitudes are very different than English ones. Or at least American ones. I've found that people in Russia tend to be less about politeness and more about getting to the point of things, and the sense of humour is different, so different words and word combinations are considered amusing than here. I think saying that certain languages sound more "angry", or "sensual", or "happy" is just a comparison to what you grew up with (for an example, when I first started learning English, it sounded lazy and "curly" to me.) I, for one, don't feel anymore angry or sexy than usual when I speak Russian. It's just that bringing the more Russian side of my personality into how I speak English simply doesn't work unless the other person is also a Russian speaking in English -- Americans either get offended or confused. #languageandemotion
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Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat
10/28/09

@IndigoCharm: Russian has so many vowels and crazy consonants grouped together. I love the way it sounds, and it also includes my favorite sound that we just don't have in English, and that's the "zh" sound. #languageandemotion
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IndigoCharm
11/01/09

@Alys Brangwin can't stop the beat: Oh yeah -- I was extremely confused when I first started learning English because there is no zh, sh, or ts (as a single letter anyway). Then again, I was also surprised to find out that none of my family in Russia can pronounce "th", whereas I never gave it a second thought. I guess that comes with learning a language early on. #languageandemotion
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IndigoCharm
11/02/09

@sweet_communist: ( Your comment isn't showing up but I found it in your activity) Heh, I've definitely noticed that anytime I've watched crime shows such as CSI -- they'd have some evil Russian mafia leader plotting against the whole American nation. Their attempt at Russian is hilarious, though -- you'd think they'd actually hire a Russian actor, but I guess they were all too offended.
Unfortunately, it seems the Cold War mentality is quite persistent -- when I went to school there were some people that asked me if I'm a "commie or something". Nevermind that I was born just as the Communism ended. Of course, those people also asked me if I lived with polar bears, so I guess I shouldn't have expected much of them... #languageandemotion
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Ultraprison!
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
Some words in German always make me smile, like "lederhosen" and "Jagermeister." I recently discovered that the German word for warlock (video game nerd, sry) is "Hexenmeister." I can't say that without a smile on my face. #languageandemotion
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Friday
10/28/09

@Ultraprison!: I love that in German, any larger word is generally made up of smaller words. Such as my favorite: Schneckehaus. Snail shell, or literally, a snail house. Adorable! #languageandemotion
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dj_chick
10/28/09

@Ultraprison!: If I get into a fabulously good mood, I'll go around saying "hefeweisen" and "shizer". They make me smile ... something about being able to sound so angry while screaming the ridiculous "beer! shit!" is so amusing to me. #languageandemotion
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kctomorrow
10/28/09

@Ultraprison!: I grew up around Yiddish speaking folks but never really thought of it as a language..more just slang. I am always pleasantly surprised to realize I completely understand a German word that I never really learned. Its almost like its a language that just makes sense to me. Also it kinda sounds hysterical.... #languageandemotion
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jbrecken
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
"If things go well I might be showing her my eeee-face." #languageandemotion
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badmutha
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
For some reason, I think because of the "caca" sound, I like "cacophony." #languageandemotion
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HadwinBabazoid
10/28/09

@badmutha: Kaka= poop in German. Still feel that way? ;-) #languageandemotion
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badmutha
10/29/09

@HadwinBabazoid: Caca=poop in Spanish too. And yes, I do do. #languageandemotion
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HadwinBabazoid
10/29/09

@badmutha: Hearted for your kaka/caca love, then! #languageandemotion
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DrWorm
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
Hi, I'm european and speak three languages fluently (french, dutch and english) and am vaguely familiar with german, and took 4 years of latin in school.

I dunno really, whenever I attempt to speak german, it sound like a really vile and aggresive language, a lot of harsh sound and all. It's almost like it's a language that is supposed to be yelled or something. e.g.
a butterfly (english obvs)
een vlinder (dutch)
une papillion (french)
EIN SCHMETTERLING(german)

I think their is a lot more poise in french and english than in german.
But the funny thing (at least for me) is the differences in Dutch and Flemish (Belgian Dutch). As a Belgian myself I find hearing Dutch from holland almost unbearable, in Flemish you hear more french influences which makes the Dutch (I think) softer and calmer. But in Dutch from the Netherlands it's like hearing a bipolar midget. #languageandemotion
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rah29
10/28/09

@DrWorm: French makes me feel nervous, and serious. Like I'm taking an exam. That's probably, however, because most of my French experience has been exam based!

I'm currently learning Polish and feel quite free in it, if only because I have resigned myself to the fact that I will never master the grammar so I can freewheel through it. I am also informed that Poles are happy just to see people attempt the language, since it's so damn hard, but I think there's a strange beauty to it. #languageandemotion
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Vivien Smith-Smythe-Smith
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
For me, German and Maori are the most enjoyable languages to speak. German is so exciting to read aloud, and Maori has no written language, so there is a really strong oral tradition.
I think I especially like the emphasis in both languages on pronouncing the vowels you're given.
I studied French for ages (my grandmother was fluent in it, as well as Portuguese), but I can't help feeling like French goes extravagant on the vowels, but doesn't pay them enough attention once they're out there- if I'm buying a vowel, I want to make sure I get my money's worth!

As a non-American English-speaking native, I really struggle to 'drawl' my Rs in the same way that Americans do; to pronounce 'murder' in that manner just fucks my shit up. I'm Antipodean: clipped vowels is just what we do down here.

Other than that, the only thing that bugs me is mispronunciation of Maori words. Like, srsly! The vowels sounds aren't complex, and, granted not everyone can make an 'ng' sound, but it isn't too hard to remember to read 'wh' as 'f'. Argh! #languageandemotion
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J.D.Regent
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
I wonder how linked emotion and vibration or utterance of certain sounds is with why certain names seem to create certain personalities (as Jezebel has been documenting). I mean having someone hiss "Jessica" at me all day might make me feel bitchy too. No offense Jessicas. I like a lot of you. It's just the proto-example now. #languageandemotion
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LaComtesse
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
I've never minded the "oi" noise. Moist, ointment, noise, oy vey: all fine words? Know what’s awful? The word "rump." That I even typed it makes me feel dreadful. I don’t mind the definition, but the sound is awful. I can’t even enjoy a good "rumba" because of this horrible sound combination. Even "roombas" remind me of "rumbas" which remind me of "rump" so I can’t even enjoy roombas! In "The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love," one of the characters life mottos was "Rum, Rumba, and Rump" and I almost threw up.

Conversely, the best words have the "esse" or "sha" noises in them. "Baroness." "Russia." "Mistress." All awesome words.
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Edited by LaComtesse at 10/28/09 3:07 PM LaComtesse was starred LaComtesse was unstarred

seabiscuit
10/28/09

@LaComtesse: That's why I love reading Chaucerian Middle English out loud for class. There are so many words that have "esse" in them, or better, words like "noblesse" (pronounced noble-ess-a.) So many esse noises! And I just like the sound of "A." #languageandemotion
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LaComtesse
10/28/09

@seabiscuit: Middle English--the love child of English and French-- is one of my favorite items to read or listen to. My concentration in Lit in college was Medieval Lit with a focus on Middle English. #languageandemotion
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Casquivana
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
I do. Spanish is my native language, but I grew up in the border and learned to speak English since I was little and attended bilingual (oh, sorry, bicultural) schools all my life, then started with two additional languages at different ages during my teens. There is a different attitude that comes with each language, I think. Is not just that "you yell when speaking Italian" or "modulate your voice when speaking French," but I guess that the way you speak them is shaped by your own native language. I've never been able to crack a joke properly in German, and even though I'm not as fluent, I feel more comfortable and not as self-conscious when speaking Italian. And saying the French word "alentours" for some reason, makes me happy. Odd thing? Even though the language I feel most comfortable with next to Spanish is English (my second language) and also the one I speak with a better accent, I hate saying words with a lot of R's. And for some reason, the word "culture" drives me insane, the same way many native English speakers seem to go nuts when hearing the word moist. I think diphthongs are kind of my thing.
I don't know, I think all of our experiences and points of view are shaped by culture and growing up in a place where sharp, decisive enunciation is a must, and diminutives are a form of derision, I apply the same rules to other languages as well. #languageandemotion
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rah29
10/28/09

@Casquivana: A good friend of mine has Spanish and English as both his first languages (he has one parent of each, and he lived in Argentina as a kid). His entire personality changes, you can see it happening. In English, bless his heart, he's really awkward and incredibly British. When he speaks Spanish his whole posture alters; he becomes much more relaxed and cheerful and suave. The transformation is amazing! #languageandemotion
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fauxfruit
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
everyone knows R is the most aggressive sounding letter in the alphabet. That's why it's called muRdeR and not muKdeK. #languageandemotion
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Adora Belle Dearheart promoted this comment fauxfruit was starred fauxfruit was unstarred

Adora Belle Dearheart
10/28/09

@fauxfruit: okay, i just spit my tea out on the screen. ..mukdek.. #languageandemotion
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fauxfruit
10/29/09

@Adora Belle Dearheart: It was a Dwight Schrute-ism :) #languageandemotion
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quatrevingtquatre
10/28/09

In reply to A Rose By Any Other Name Might Make You Angry
Pamplemousse is my absolute favorite word in the whole word. Well I speak French and English. But still. It makes me giggle! Such a fun word for "grapefruit." #languageandemotion
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PrettyPolitico
10/28/09

@quatrevingtquatre: Me too! Its SO fun to say. I also adore French terms of endearment, like calling boyfriend "mon petit chouchou" (my little cabbage) :) #languageandemotion
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jigglyball
10/28/09

@PrettyPolitico: I love brussels sprouts (and, of course, cabbage), and an ex of mine used to call me "mon petit chou de bruxelles". #languageandemotion
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