A multilingual man, who has demonstrated what English sounds like to non-speakers, shared a video that is simultaneously the most understandable and nonsensical thing you've ever heard.
Realistically, you've probably never thought about how a language you understand perfectly sounds like to people who don't understand a single word.
The only slightly relatable comparison is when you're trying to learn GCSE French, and all you can remember is 'je vais au cinema'.
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Trying to remember words that aren't spelt, and sound the same in English, is a bit of a mission.
Well, here's where TikToker @languagesimp comes in.
The content creator who can speak multiple languages - including French, Spanish, Russian and Portuguese - has revealed what the Anglo lingo sounds like to people who don't understand it.
In a viral video posted back in 2021, he explained 'how English sounds to foreigners'.
Watch below:
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The effect is a little strange for those of us who do speak English, with one person commenting: “I felt like I should understand what he was saying.”
Another asked: “You are telling me people hear me talking like a Sim?”
While someone else wrote: “I feel like I understand what he's saying, but I also don't.”
A fourth person said: “This sounds right… but it’s not… ”
Pretty weird, eh?
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As you can hear, it sounds pretty much like Simlish, although the phrase 'you're literally dog water' creeps in at one point.
It seems as though the TikToker achieved this effect by using an accent and intonations which would be present in English but inserting nonsense words.
Basically, it'd sound like English sounds as a language but you wouldn't know the words and thus the meaning of what was being said would be robbed from you.
It's about as close as we're going to get to knowing it.
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But aside from sounding like a Sim, what have people actually said English speakers sound like?
Voiceover website Voices put together a list of sound qualities foreigners have noted about English speakers, and let's just say it's not particularly complimentary.
They think English mainly involves:
• Slurred and garbled sounds
• Harsh 'r' sounds
• Overuse of 's', 'sh' and 'ch' sounds
• Interesting variations in rhythm and inflections
• Lots of 'ing' sounds at the end of words
• Dropping of consonants at the beginning and end of words
• Overemphasis on the beginning of words and underemphasis on the end
• Open and rolling vowel sounds
• Soft consonants
• Flat sounds
Additional words by Joe Harker.
Anish Vij