What's your accent (in your native language)?

[Veles]

Actually, no.

Smetana just means "cream", and the word itself sounds "sweet" when you hear it. Sour cream would be "(za)kysaná smetana"

In Russian cream is slivki, and smetana is sourcream. And by sweet you apparently mean diminutive, like yablochko, polotentse.

"Hus(a)" is goose, yes, but I have no idea what "žižka" (that's /zhishka/ or some such transliteration nonsense) means.

It's apparently from adjective zydkij(aja) - "liquid". In Russian it would be something along the lines of "squishy".

 

[Winner]

In Russian cream is slivki, and smetana is sourcream. And by sweet you apparently mean diminutive, like yablochko, polotentse.

No, I simply mean that when I say "smetana", I will imagine cream that's sweet, not sour Beware of false friends in Slavic languages (The diminutive of "smetana" in Czech would be something like "smetánka").

It's apparently from adjective zydkij(aja) - "liquid". In Russian it would be something along the lines of "squishy".

Ha.

 

[Murky]

I'm a Missouri native. I have the basic rural Missouri accent, but I try to avoid the hillbilly speak (e.g. Warsh instead of Wash).

 

[Tani Coyote]

I've been told I don't sound like a New Yorker. I know sometimes my words seem to come out as if it was a Southern accent, which is really strange as I have never been in the South my entire life, barring that day through Kansas.

I suppose I speak a general American, since when I see actors do an American accent it comes across as sounding what I usually hear.

 

[Godwynn]

Nordnorsk

I haven't spoken Norwegian with anyone outside of my family since we left Trondheim in '98.

 

[Dachs]

Smetana just means "cream", and the word itself sounds "sweet" when you hear it. Sour cream would be "(za)kysaná smetana"

So referring to Smetana as "a sack of cum" would not only be an effective way of demonstrating one's disapproval of his works, but would also contain a linguistic pun?

Cool.

 

[Leoreth]

By the way, I only brought that pic up as an illustration of English-speaking people perception of German language. To me it doen't sound especially harsh, quite frankly. Fun fact is that 'schmetter' in 'schmetterling', comes from Slavic word smetana (sourcream).

Well, "(zer)schmettern" does mean "to smash" in German, but that would of course be faulty etymology, as you mentioned (by the way, the background of this is that people apparently believed that witches turn themselves into steal cream). I don't think the word sounds "harsher" than butterfly, though.

 

[Veles]

I don't think the word sounds "harsher" than butterfly, though.

It does, if it's Rrramstein pronounciation.

 

[Leoreth]

But that's the point, since Rammstein intentionally plays with cliche German pronounciation.

 

[Winner]

But that's the point, since Rammstein intentionally plays with cliche German pronounciation.

I believe they said something about singing in German because it's the language of anger

 

[Leoreth]

It's Rammstein, folks. Nothing they say should be taken seriously.

 

[The_J]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MusicToInvadePolandTo ^^

And I also have to disagree. If you look at e.g. nick names in online games, or other sort of names, germans often prefer english names imho because they sound more brute (e.g. thunder vs. Donner, witch vs. Hexe, etc).

Oh, and this btw has totally nothing to do with the original topic here.

 

[Dachs]

It's Rammstein, folks. Nothing they say should be taken seriously.

Remember, they're only unpopular in Germany itself, because nobody else can understand what they're saying.

 

[Leoreth]

Are they? I think they're popular abroad for different reasons then in Germany. Some of their lyrics are genuinely good and often rely on clever ambiguities (e.g. "Du Hast").

 

[Veles]

Ah, this brings school memories...
DU RI-I-IECHST SO GU-U-UT

They're probably major weirdos lyrics-wise. Good thing I don't understand a word of it.

 

[Traitorfish]

They're probably major weirdos lyrics-wise. Good thing I don't understand a word of it.

Fixed.

 

[Veles]

^ I've always suspected something fishy about them!

I believe they said something about singing in German because it's the language of anger

Language of anger? Gentlemen, please.


Link to video.

 

[Pangur Bán]

Q to Winner. Is there any sense in which Moravian "Czechs" are closer to Slovakians than "Bohemians"? I'm not looking for an ideological opinion or your own, just wanting to know if any such sense exists among your public.

 

[Winner]

Q to Winner. Is there any sense in which Moravian "Czechs" are closer to Slovakians than "Bohemians"? I'm not looking for an ideological opinion or your own, just wanting to know if any such sense exists among your public.

Definitely - from both sides, but I've heard more about it from the Slovaks. They see Moravians as being culturally and linguistically closer to them than the Bohemians.