Whenever I talk with people and it comes down to giving me an example of how Asian people, talk be it Japanese, Korean, Thai, or Chinese it comes out sounding like Chinese. Why is that? There are those few who don't make it sound like Chinese either. >>
2007-12-18 11:29:43 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Most Asian languages sound nothing like Chinese and why would anyone think they did? Hebrew, Arabic, Turkish, Hindustani, Pushtu, Persian, and Urdu and just a few of the hundreds of Asian languages and none of them sound anything like Chinese.
There are some languages in eastern Asia that are tone languages and Chinese is one of these. In tone languages, rising, steady or falling tones have meaning and to the uneducated ear, tone languages can sound similar. As I said it is some eastern Asian languages, it is nothing like "all" Asian languages.
2007-12-18 11:40:01 · answer #1 · answered by tentofield 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because they have no idea what Chinese sounds like! I showed a Chinese movie to one of my high school classes. The kids started picking up words and phrases they heard often, and a number of them commented that it didn't sound at all like they had thought. Those people just don't try.
2007-12-18 13:34:12 · answer #2 · answered by Snow Globe 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Our ears are attuned to completely different sounds. There are layers and layers of auditory, linguistic, and perceptive complexities separating the language groups. The broad differences between Germanic/Romance language families and Eastern language families are the most accessible to most people's ears.
2007-12-18 11:39:46 · answer #3 · answered by LornaBug 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It could be because those people have never heard those languages spoken, but have heard chinese. Or that even if they heard them, they wouldn't care.
Most people are horrible imitators anyways. From now on you should only listen to those that are half mockingbird or half parrot.
2007-12-18 11:57:57 · answer #4 · answered by slgraff✪✪ 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ignorance...most people have no idea at all which languages are spoken in which countries.
2007-12-18 11:53:19 · answer #5 · answered by brian777999 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because to them, it all sounds the same. And they don't really care either, so in ignorance they don't notice the difference.
It bugs me too, honestly.
2007-12-18 11:38:48 · answer #6 · answered by doremii 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Because honorable 04Burn-san to me it's all greek
2007-12-18 11:49:44 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
well it kinda depends on how well you listen to different letter sounds.. if you listen carefully and closely you see the difference.
2007-12-18 11:39:52 · answer #8 · answered by ~~ 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sadly, people are ignorant. Even to my untrained ear they can be distinguished.
2007-12-18 11:39:17 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋