Stereotypes about English?

[flammable hippo]

Most people have heard people try to imitate the way languages like Mandarin, Spanish, German sound even though they know nothing about the language. For example when talking about Mandarin some people may say something stupid like ching chang chong or for German they might even try to imitate Hitler and say made up words with weird, raspy pronounciations like Varchingsteicher or something like that. So, my question is, what do people who don't speak English think of when they think of English? What are some stereotypical sounds and made up words that are associated with English just like ching chang chong is associated with Mandarin?


-Sorry if this topic has come up before

[Tajoumaru]

Big Mac, french fries! Super-size!

[ashitaka]

curly fries, pepsi please, dairy queen, taco bell.

[tanuki]

flammable hippo wrote:
So, my question is, what do people who don't speak English think of when they think of English?

How are we supposed to know what they think of? We can't read minds. Anyone who can read that sentence knows English, so you're not going to get any real response to your question from any of us.

---

Quibbling aside, the English language's "stereotype" is that a lot of words end in "-ation" and, of course, the sound of your "r". Also that all o's are always pronounced as ou's (from a Spanish perspective).

[flammable hippo]

tanuki wrote:

flammable hippo wrote:
So, my question is, what do people who don't speak English think of when they think of English?

How are we supposed to know what they think of? We can't read minds. Anyone who can read that sentence knows English, so you're not going to get any real response to your question from any of us.

---

Quibbling aside, the English language's "stereotype" is that a lot of words end in "-ation" and, of course, the sound of your "r". Also that all o's are always pronounced as ou's (from a Spanish perspective).

Well, a lot of people on this site don't speak English as a first language and learned it a lot later in life. This gives them plenty of time to have had thoughts about the language before ever attempting to learn it.

[tanuki]

To tell you the truth, I don't really remember what I thought of English before I learned it. It was long ago.

What are some (...) made up words that are associated with English

japiberdei

[Harisenbon]

brillig.

I don't know what Japanese people thing english sounds like, but I sure as hell know what they think an american Japanese Accent sounds like..

HEY HEY! yakiTOri!!! okonomiYAki!

*grumblegrumble*

[chikara]

Harisenbon wrote:
brillig.

.....

Lewis Carroll wrote:
'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe
All mimsy were the borogoves
And the mome raths outgrabe

Any way, enough farnarkling around

[fezangry]

i learned spanish as a first language, and didnt learned english until i was 11 or 12.
where i live, lots of young children tend to make up words with lots of 'english' r's and sh's like cartashion tronter, etc

[Yudan Taiteki]

The biggest stereotype about English and foreign languages in general that I encountered in Japan is that kids (and even some adults) seem to essentially group them with animal noises. English is often portrayed in popular media as completely incomprehensible and beyond the ability of anybody to learn, and in some cases this is carried to such an extent that it almost carries the connotation of being something fundamentally different from Japanese (i.e. as if it's not just another language, but actually a completely different thing altogether)

In a lot of American media, math is a stereotypical geek subject. In Japanese kids' stuff, it's often English that's used in that role.

[zengargoyle]

synchronicity strikes again... i just read through these links yesterday by chance...

http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/36065
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/3923
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/20884
http://ask.metafilter.com/mefi/10731

in short, "rar rar rar".