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The one I like best is Uhuru na Umoja (Tanzania) and from the Swahili meaning Freedom and Unity. But the reason I like it is because the word Uhuru has always really sounded like freedom to me. Not sure why. Well, with such short, open syllables, ending with a very basic strong vowel, it is very well suited to shouting out with passion! · ·  For years I have toyed with the theory that people who spend a lot of time outdoors, especially in a warm, clement climate, tend to have languages with simple consonants and a few basic vowels. Hawaiian and the other Polynesian languages might be the clearest examples, though ancient Greek and Latin are pretty good examples. The words in these languages can be shouted out clearly and carry over long distances. On the other hand, people who live in harsh conditions and must perforce spend a lot of time indoors cooped up close to their fellows, may develop languages with lots of complex, easy to confuse sounds because they usually communicate close to the people they talk to. Northwest Coast Indian languages, with their very complex consonant clusters and their subtle distinctions between pneumonic and ejective consonants are good examples of this tendency, since food gathering occupied relatively little time, and the people spent much time in small villages and enclosed longhouses. The Slavic languages, with their palatalized and non-palatalized consonants and soft buzzing sibilant consonants are what one might expect in cold, northern climates, as are the Germanic languages, with their jaw-breaking consonants and affricative buzzings. To this Germanic heritage, English adds its own unique blend of weird, wacky over-abundant vowels. It's no wonder the Spanish say, "Spanish is the language of men, Italian the language of women, French the language of diplomats, and English the language of geese." I will admit, however, that the buzzings and nasal vowels of French and Portuguese are sad examples of the degeneration of the noble Latin phonology.
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I will admit, however, that the buzzings and nasal vowels of French and Portuguese are sad examples of the degeneration of the noble Latin phonology. What is interesting with Portuguese and French, though, is that if you hear the way they are spoken in Brasil(Portuguese), for example, and in Kinshasa - D.R. Congo - (French) you may observe that these "transformations", all from the original countries (Portugal and France) have taken the edge off of some of those "buzzings and nasal vowels".
"The liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them." Lenny Bruce
"The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month." Dostoevsky
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' Partly, no doubt, because those "buzzings and nasal vowels" are so difficult to pronounce and so annoying to listen to.
Think how the whiny, irritating, nasal twang of so many Americans sounds to people in Britain!! Even I find it grating, and I grew up around it!!
Oh, for the strong, simple, basic consonants of ancient Greek, and its fundamental, pure vowels!! Just the right blend of r's, n's and s's -- the soupçon of garlic in the tasteful salad of good phonology! Almost none of the jaw-breaking and tongue-twisting consonant clusters which clutter up English phonology. In our language, they are so rudely thrown into promiscuous contact that even native English speakers cannot pronounce them properly!! Consider how the word "clothes" is so difficult to pronounce that in normal speech it is the same as "close" (as in, "Close the door")!!
It is ancient Greek which should be the world language, as it was in the ancient Mediterranean world, and not the barbaric yowl of English!!
Last edited by numan; 12/29/12 07:11 PM.
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I remember landing in Lisbon, and although fluent in Portuguese, believed I was in Turkey. Another interesting fact is that when you read Pessoa's poetry with a Brasilian accent, it sounds infinitely better (and much more melodic) than when read with the original Portuguese accent with which it was written. I wonder if he knew that?
"The liberals can understand everything but people who don't understand them." Lenny Bruce
"The cleverest of all, in my opinion, is the man who calls himself a fool at least once a month." Dostoevsky
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