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What does English sound like to foreign ears?
by Robert Lamb | June 14, 2011
We’ve all heard examples of fake Chinese or German from speakers who lack familiarity with either language. While typically cringe-worthy, these examples do raise interesting questions regarding our own language. What does English sound like to non-English speakers? After more than 40 years, Adriano Celentano’s “Prisencolinensinainciusol” remains one of the most illuminating examples. Prepare to rock out and sorta kinda rap with an Italian comedian:
Have you ever tried to read Old English? It’s tough. To the untrained eye, even Middle English, the language of The Canterbury Tales, is markedly different from the language we use now. There’s no shortage of linguists and other experts studying the evolution of English from its roots to its present form(s), but many native speakers [...]
I’d like to propose a new word: podcastrix.
Podcastrix would be to podcaster what comedienne is to comedian — the feminine noun form.
Do we need this linguistic clarification? Nah. But it would certainly catch people’s attention if I said, “My name is Cristen Conger, and I’m a podcastrix.”
Yesterday I blogged about Vatican astronomer Guy J. Consolmagno’s thoughts on the relationship between science and religion — and the conflict that sometimes emerges there. I thought the planetary scientists turned Jesuit brother presented a very positive, thought-provoking view on the matter. But in the interest of providing another take less rooted in Western monotheism, I thought we’d turn to Varadaraja V. Raman.
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