• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

Which language do you prefer the sound of?

L

Lonyo

Lifer
OK, I have no idea about either of these languages, and I know there are variations (like different types of Chinese, eg: Mandarin).

But which (to those who don't understand either) sounds nicest? I was watching Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon earlier, and I've seen some Anime, and IMO Japanese sounds nicer as a language, even though I can't understand either.
 
Japanese sounds much more clean than Chinese.

Jap is more sharp and cut.
Chinese sounds like a crying baby mutt set on fire inside a metal cage.
 
Originally posted by: Passions
Japanese sounds much more clean than Chinese.

Chinese sounds like a crying baby mutt set on fire inside a metal cage.
Click to expand...

Lol, That's actually a decent description...now do English!

 
Actually, depending on the dialect of Chinese (not sure which one), it sounds nicer than Japanese. I'm Asian but don't speak either language.
 
I'm a westerner, but I am learning Japanese at school, and intend to take Mandarin next year. From my experience, I do prefer the sound of Japanese over the Mandarin that I've heard. Japanese is basically a mix of the vowels "ah," "ee," "ooh," "eh," and "oh" with basic consonants that you can easily represent in the Roman alphabet. When you understand the structure, it actually sounds very similar to romance languages. Mandarin, on the other hand.... The sound is completely foreign to us. There's a bunch of usage of X/Ch and Ao, which is barely ever used in romance languages. In fact, the way you pronounce their vowels can completely change the meaning. For instance, I believe there are five different meanings of "Ma."

Of course, not to say that romance languages sound better. I mean, English is pretty damn ugly (thanks to its germanic roots). Spanish, on the other hand, is very poetic.
 
it doesn't even make sense to say "chinese". mandarin sounds very different than cantonese (i think it sounds very much like vietnamese). and there is taiwanese, or fukinese, or any of the myriad of other names it has. and shanghainese, and all sorts of stuff.
 
Vietnamese, Mandarian, Cantonese, these are the whining languages.

The end of most sentences sound like a long howl or whine, e.x. "hao laaaaaa~~~~~"

The end of most japanese sentences end with a sharp, "de!" or "wa!"

 
Originally posted by: s0ssos
it doesn't even make sense to say "chinese". mandarin sounds very different than cantonese (i think it sounds very much like vietnamese). and there is taiwanese, or fukinese, or any of the myriad of other names it has. and shanghainese, and all sorts of stuff.
Click to expand...

I think it's safe to assume Mandarin when people are talking about the Chinese language. All the other dialects (yes including Cantonese) are used by relatively small subsets of the people.

I don't have an opinion on the original question though because I'm probably too biased. But I can see how Japanese might sound more natural to English speakers due to its relatively simpler and more phoenetically similar pronouciations. Mandarin on the other hand has some radically different sounds like somebody mentioned before.
 
Originally posted by: Riceball
cantonese > japanese > mandarin
Click to expand...

you must be crazy. it should've been.

japanese > mandarin > taiwanese > cantonese

whenever i heard cantonese, it always sounds like people arguing.
 
Originally posted by: s0ssos
it doesn't even make sense to say "chinese". mandarin sounds very different than cantonese (i think it sounds very much like vietnamese). and there is taiwanese, or fukinese, or any of the myriad of other names it has. and shanghainese, and all sorts of stuff.
Click to expand...

It makes sense to enough non-educated about Asian language people (like me) to be able to understand what is being asked.
I know that things are more complex, but I have not investigated enough to know the intricacies, but I would assume a lot of the other members on ATOT are in the same boat, so they are likely to just be able to vote based on what they do know and their exposure.

And as I said in my OP, I know there are different dialects and stuff, but I have no idea about either language really.
 
Originally posted by: narutofan36
AZN PRIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
 
When you're talking about sound, it's all about the speaker!

Sure Japanese can sound pretty cool, but not when it's a nasally speaker, or a murmuring speaker, and you can bet you can find whiny ones too.

You can find impressive sounding catonese/mandarin speakers too.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top