What English Sounds Like to Foreigners

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According to Buzzfeed, “German Composer Adriano Celentano wrote this song in 1972 using a made up language designed to sound like English.” Play the video below. I think it’s probably dead-on.

I always wondered what I must sound like to people who don’t speak English, but I always assumed there’d be less harmonica and polyester.


Discussion (5)¬

  1. Ken J says:

    Doesn't sound much like English to me, neither American (of any dialect, except possibly Detroit) nor Canadian, British, Australian English, or etc. Remember this was produced more than 35 years ago!

    it's literally impossible to know what you sound like to people of a different language and therefore a different culture, since you're not from there. It's like when someone of a particular skin color makes a movie about people of a different one- it's a parody, forced and over-done.

    This is NOT what English sounds like, and it's not how you sound to others.

    As long as you're respectful in other peoples' societies, don't worry about what they think of you personally (unless you're trying to pick up some foreign tail!).

    Ken Johnson, American-born southern California native.

  2. ChayaFradle says:

    Echolalia song I can use for DANCE EXERCISE. Thanks! BTW, lots of churches would totally think they are praying in tongues. Woah!!!

  3. Sounds like James Brown to me. 😛

  4. lupinssupins says:

    Fan-freaking-tastic! And a great paralle; to the fake Italian, French and German used by American comics, e.g., on SNL. But, permisso, Adriano Celentano is Italian! If Buzzfeed had him as German, that's another example of American geo-cultural myopia. Europe may be becoming more diverse– France is full of Italian names, Switzerland is quatrolingual– but even if the name isn't the tip-off it used to be, his "student" is clearly asking him a question in Italian! Ciao!

  5. sugarkat says:

    Judas priest, this is effing brilliant. Cheers, Mr. Bell!