Re: CHAT: Blandness (was: Uusisuom's influences)

> I hear (or at least can hear) Finnish almost daily and I
> don't find it beautiful at all. (The common opinion in
> Sweden is that Finnish isn't a language, it's an inarticulate
> sound). Although I love its phonology and its grammar, so
> I wondered what was wrong. I figured it had to be the initial
> stress and tried to pronounce it with a Quenya-like stress
> and the result was marvellous! Suddenly it sounds absolutely
> wonderful!
>
Having my first language as Hungarian, I consider that the most beautiful
of all naturally, but I get this strange feeling when I hear Finnish,
Estonian, Sami, Turkish, Inuktitut and Veps that I should understand
what's being said (I do if it's the first two!), they're speaking
Hungarian why don't I understand?! I think that those languages are the
most beautiful. For the longest time, especially when I was younger, I
couldn't stand to hear Romance languages, I thought they were the most
hideous sounding thing in the world. And when I went to visit my cousin in
Sweden and heard Swedish for the first time I nearly passed out...I
remember his dad cracking up when I asked why everybody is singing all the
time...

In short I think one's native language has a lot to do with whether or not
one thinks a language is beautiful. I can understand why to the Swedish
ear Finnish doesn't sound very beautiful, but to the Hungarian or Turkish
ear it is quite!

-------ferko
Ferenc Gy. Valoczy

Suurt chugunikka peene ahjo suhe et toukka.

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