What is the world’s sexiest language?
There’s no question that some languages sound more attractive than others. Indeed, French enjoys a long-standing reputation as the ‘language of love,’ but is that reputation really deserved? And is being the language of love different from being the world’s sexiest language?
The language of love
French troubadours played a key role in the language’s association with love and romance. These noble, high-minded poets would travel the land, using lyric poetry delivered in Old Occitan to express wondrous and glorious tales of love (of the high-minded, respectful, wistful kind, naturally). Their messages were extremely popular and leant the French language a certain reputation as Occitan gradually blended with the language of the north of the country to move close to the French that we recognise today.
In more modern times, Google Translate has highlighted French as the language of love, reporting that it is the most frequently used European language for translating romantic expressions. Indeed, “je t’aime” came second only to “bonjour” in terms of French translation requests.
Overall, 34 of the top 1,000 most translated French phrases were about love. That was followed by Spanish, with 33 out of 1,000 phrases relating to love, while Russian, Italian and German brought up the ranks.
It’s all about the accent
Demand for translation is far from the only way to judge a language’s sexiness credentials. Dating site PlentyOfFish recently revealed the results of its analysis of the 50 million messages sent on its platform during the month of January 2017, as well as surveying 325 of their US-based users. The results found that men are most attracted to women who speak Dutch as a second language, while women are most attracted to men who can speak German.
Another dating site – MissTravel – has just released its own survey results. Rather than focusing on second language speakers, the site looked at those who speak languages other than English as their first language – and thus have an accent when they speak English. In total, 1,164 American men responded to the survey.
The MissTravel survey found that Hebrew came out on top in terms of the sexiest accent. Israeli actress Gal Gadot’s rise to fame as Wonder Woman is thought to have had quite an impact on the ranking.
The Colombian accent took second place, having become familiar in many American homes thanks to Modern Family actress Sofia Vergara. Australian came next, with French ranking down in fourth place.
The appeal of accents relates to the hint of worldliness that they bring with them. The speaker’s accent implies that he or she has seen and experienced things that the hearer has not – it delivers a thrill of the unknown.
The world’s ugliest languages
It’s not just the world’s sexiest languages that have been ranked. How Africa has listed the top ten ugliest languages in the world. Vietnamese took the top spot as the world’s least attractive language, with the site claiming (rather harshly) that it “sounds like a duck being brutalized.” Somali came next, followed by Chinese and Turkish (apparently due to its lack of melody and monotonic sound).
Such harsh criticisms do little to honour the ancient linguistic origins and unique quirks of Vietnamese and the other languages singled out. Most of those working in the field of professional translation would no doubt be able to appreciate the complexity and beauty of any language, as well as its unique sound.
Final thoughts
Which do you think is the sexiest language? Does French or Hebrew top your list? And which is the ugliest language? Or do you think it is unfair to call any language ugly? Share your comments below – we look forward to hearing your thoughts.
POST YOUR COMMENT
- Isabel Rosa Forgoso said
- I think Italian is the sexiest language. Neither French nor Israeli top my list. There is no ugliest language. Instead, we could say there are difficult languages to learn. Let's take Chinese, for instance ; pronunciation is tightly associated with the writing of characters, so an intensive practice in writing is required if you want to succeed. I wouldn't say it is unfair to call a language ugly. That would mean a lack of reasoning; a language is linked to the history of a region, the struggle of its people to survive, the use of land, the surrounding landscape and many other features of their culture. For me, languages are like the pearls of a necklace, shiny, lovely, Regards, Isabel
- 18-05-2017
- Arturo Díaz said
- I am a native Spanish speaker and I do not know Portuguese but I feel it to my ears so romantic
- 18-05-2017
- Philip Arreguin said
- Number one choice is Spanish followed by French, Italian then Portuguese.
- 01-06-2017
- Ihar Kazak said
- Hello Tomedes! Whether a language is sexy, lovely, musical, etc. or "ugly," unacceptable, and other none-too-flattering evaluations...is all subjective. One thing stands out however: one's native tongue is the most attractive. To wit: The Belarusian poet Ryhor Krushyna (1907-1979) had this poem to clarify it all: IN HARMONY Tr. from Belarusian by Ihar Kazak © 2017 I'm in Munich and I’m in New York But the chime of my verse Places a simple language and talk Under a lovely, natural rule to converse. Like the song’s melody of Milan, It captures and enthralls me. Even when one hears “Oh, Rama-Rama” It touches upon Italian harmony. Italian! Spanish! French! I call these my own—and I thrive! I shall not withdraw making my feelings quench Tuning in to Warsaw or Moscow to strive. Oh West! I don’t shun you nor abstain Your dynamic culture and might I’ve not discarded in arrogance and disdain. Here I sense the spirit of Skaryna’s height. I’m in Munich and I’m in New York, But my language shall always remain… Both in the East and in the West The Belarusian speech I retain. From Darohi [Roads]. NY-Munich: 1974. Ihar Kazak has translated some 100 poems of Ryhor Krushyna, and the collection is to be published this year as Love for the Homeland.
- 02-06-2017
- Maureen P said
- This is silly because all languages are not being graded equally. As in, the world has not been given a chance to hear everyone's accent. The survey is based on a handful of famous people that have been able to market their accents who happen to be beautiful. Therefore, the survey is biased and inaccurate.
- 08-06-2017
- Diana-Beatriz said
- Stuck on a wrong word, figured it out. Lent as past of lend (the occitane language). Portuguese is sweetest sounding 1 2 me,
- 05-07-2017
- Roger said
- I feel the opposite of most people. I think German is the most beautiful language, and my second favourite is Russian. I don't like Spanish or French.
- 17-08-2017
- Lua said
- Lol what????!?! Chinese is so sexy... Those people need to listen to some c-pop...
- 23-04-2018
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