In your opinion, what are examples of some of the most beautiful and most ugly languages in the world?

The most beautiful: Japanese.
The ugliest: Texan.

Well, English isn’t either. If you’re in a large group of people speaking different languages, English sounds like a bunch of hissing snakes. I’d choose Russian as most beautiful, although Italian is right up there.
Ugliest? I don’t think I’m familiar with that one.

I think French is beautiful. And I’ve never heard it from the “outside,” but I bet English sounds pretty ugly. I think German is pretty ugly as well.

Norwegian, especially certain dialects, are very ugly. Ick. The gutteral vowel sounds and lazy d’s and l’s can make it sound like someone has had a stroke and is struggling to form words. Also, the manner and tone people speak in sounds rude (and mostly is…). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4ORBVOFExc

I think Japanese sounds pretty and I like Samoan and some of the indigenous American languages, too.

The most beautiful: French.

The ugliest: German.

(I need to speak Norwegian but I have sort of made up my own dialect because I want to be understood by local people, but I like the sing-songy way the Northerners speak. and I say please and thank you and excuse me)

I don’t have a pick for most pleasant, but I would lean towards French, or maybe Spanish.

As for worst languages: Portuguese…. too guttural. No melody at all.

Japanese, when sung, sounds amazing to me. I’m not sure why exactly, I just love the sounds; mostly CV syllables of course. But when it’s spoken, it’s not my favorite—it’s spoken too quickly and many sounds are eliminated (silent vowels and such).

Latin also sounds excellent, not that I really hear it being spoken. But I think it can be beautiful and a far cry from most people’s image of it as the creepy language used to summon evil forces.

As a linguist, I look at languages all over the world and I have a collection of songs that I have for no reason other than to hear the sound of the language; thus I don’t really find any language to be “ugly-sounding”, though I can understand why people choose certain ones. English-speakers tend to love the sound of Latin-based languages: French, Spanish, Italian, and tend to dislike languages with high amounts of consonant clusters and velar fricatives like German and Russian. I’ve also heard Vietnamese called “ugly”, probably for its unusual vowel sounds.

I think Vietnamese is ugly.
French is the prettiest.

Beautiful: The quintessential, pitch perfect queen’s english…proper posh like.
Ugly: Welsh, they use half a pint of spit just saying place names.

I don’t really think there’s any ugly ones. The fact that we speak so many languages is awesome itself.

I like French, Spanish, and accented English, either Australian, Irish or British.
I don’t think any off them are ugly

Like others, I love French, but there must be other languages I’ve never heard that would also be pleasing to my ears.

About German: At one time I couldn’t tolerate its harshness, but during a week-long visit to Germany in the 90s, hearing it constantly all around me and finding people so hospitable, I became more accustomed to it and then I realized, much to my amazement, I rather liked it, also because now that I’m older it, hearing so many German words pleasantly takes me back to the days I grew up hearing Yiddish spoken on both sides of my family.

I really can’t stand Cantonese or Mandarin. Both are so harsh and always sound angry.

Indonesian and Malay seem to drift between beauty and a guttural structure.

Most beautiful I think would be french. It just comes out so smooth and “flowy“if you will. Ugliest would probably have to be Russian or German. Nothing against them, but its just sounds so harsh, you know?

I like the flow and cadence of latin, in music it is honey to my ears. I think it is because of the many vowels.

Languages that use more consonants than vowels sound rough and grating to me. German is like that as are many of the aboriginal dialects in Australia.

I like the aussie accent and I am always amazed at how many aussies tell me they love my yankee accent.

I don’t have a nominee for the most beautiful language, but for the ugliest:
Visual Basic for Applications.

@cazzie Baahahaha I love that video. XD

You know I don’t think there’s any language I think sounds ’‘ugly’’. I sincerely cannot think of one.

As for pretty languages, I think Spanish, Portuguese and Italian are really pretty and smexay. German is awesome too, as is, of course, Norwegian and Icelandic. Also, Russian sounds awesome. I’m particularly fond of Russian people speaking in English. ’‘melts’’ Aaaahh…

I agree with @rooeytoo, latin is amazing, as well as French and Spanish.

For me, sticking with German as ugliest to listen to.

Klingon is a little bit harsh.

Most beautiful: Japanese
Ugliest: German (It doesn’t sounds like a language even…)

There is no such thing as an ugly language. All such an idea does is hurting people’s feelings. I’m German by the way.

@mattbrowne Guten tag, my friend with a kick ass language. :)

@Symbeline

Der Herbstwald raschelt um mich her.
Ein unabsehbar Blättermeer
Entperlt dem Netz der Zweige.
Du aber, dessen schweres Herz
Mitklagen will den großen Schmerz:
Sei stark, sei stark und schweige!

Du lerne lächeln, wenn das Laub
Dem leichteren Wind ein leichter Raub
Hinabschwankt und verschwindet.
Du weißt, dass just Vergänglichkeit
Das Schwert, womit der Geist der Zeit
Sich selber überwindet.

Real ugly, I know.

Recognize the poet?

@mattbrowne I didn’t mean any offense to you or Germany, the language sounds very gutteral to those not familiar. Sorry.

@mattbrowne Some of my best friends are German and I always love when I get to hear them speak their native language. I have no problem with German people.
The way I, and some others, react to the sound of the language is a personal problem.
I am sorry that it was offensive to you.

How about finding some languages more beautiful than others? For example I find Italian more beautiful than Spanish :-)

@mattbrowne I maintain the VBA is as ugly as I claimed.
I concede it’s not as bad as Brainfuck though.

@rexacoracofalipitorius – Yes, VBA programs get ugly when they start growing.

One thing came to my mind as well: Sometimes it’s not the insensitive answers that are the problem, it’s the insensitive question. So @tups, please, think twice next time.

I realize that a word like ‘ugly’ is a rather value-laden one and maybe I should have phrased the question like this: In your opinion, what are examples of some of the most beautiful and less beautiful languages in the world?
I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. I hardly ever do.

@mattbrowne There might be many people who think that German is one of the less beautiful languages in the world, but there might as well be many who think that German is a beautiful language. It’s in the ear of the beholder, so to speak.

@tups – I agree. Beauty is always subjective. But the term ugliness isn’t appropriate when we talk about people or their language.