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Location: The western periphery of Terra Australis
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I hope this thread doesn't get banned or start an argument (as opposed to civilised debate)...
Anyway, I used to find Mandarin pretty annoying but actually now I don't think it's that bad.
Worst in Asia I think is out of Vietnamese, Cantonese and Thai in that order. Sometimes Vietnamese literally sounds like people shouting (if you're familiar with it). It's just plain weird to listen to. Thai is extremely nasal and harsh to my ears, and Cantonese is too tonal and also strange.
Best is probably Japanese...Korean, it depends on how it's spoken. If it's done in that whiney tone it's up there with the three mentioned above. I also find those three some of the weirdest. I never really got used to hearing Vietnamese and I couldn't pick up more than words.
Other ones would be Spanish...French can sometimes be annoying, it can sound pretentious. I'm not a fan of some of the Eastern European or Southern European languages that are spoken super-fast, but I kinda like Russian.
Dutch - it always sounds like the speaker is clearing their throat just before spitting on the sidewalk
Depends who's talking it: there's a serious difference in pronunciation between Dutch from Holland (which can sound quite harsh) and Dutch from Flanders (which is a lot softer).
Anyway, personally I most dislike hearing Arabic and the languages spoken in East Asia.
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