Reasons For Existence - Post a comment

I grew up in an area that didn't receive many outsiders, so it was amazing to hear the different accents people spoke with once I joined the Navy. An even bigger surprise was to hear everyone speaking with an accent when I came back home. I had never noticed that. We seemed so plain before.

When hearing another language, you notice certain characteristics even if you don't speak it. Japanese sounds harmonious and has a rolling quality. Korean seems to jump up and down and very aggressive. Tagalog in the Philippines sounds like a piano being played when spoken. I've always wondered what english sounds like to someone who doesn't speak it.

Earlier this year I was told that a lot of s sounds are heard when english is spoken. For some reason I thought there would be a rhythm or pounding feel to the language. The s sound never came to mind.

Of course, now that I've learned that, pretty much all I hear is sounds like s and z, and sometimes c and x. We sound like a bunch of snakes. Who knew?