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What Languages Sound Like To Foreigners

Sara Forsberg · comedy · Watch on YouTube

Language & linguisticsInternet culture & memes

What it is

Finnish YouTuber Saara improvises gibberish that mimics how various languages sound to people who do not speak them. The sentences are mostly made up, and the clip went viral.

Why Hacker News recommends it

HN points to it as a favorite example of astonishing accent mimicry and fake-language gibberish that sounds real.

  • 6 people recommended it
  • 6 different months
  • 2 strong recommendations
  • first 2014, last 2021

What HN commenters said

  1. “the absolutely astounding Saara from Finland.”

    Viral clip of astounding accent mimicry by Saara from Finland.

    wallflower, 2016-11 · Strong recommendation · in “How to Master an Accent”

  2. “Internet personality Saara turned speaking fake languages into a career with this amazing little clip”

    Amazing clip of fake-language gibberish by an internet personality.

    jpatokal, 2018-01 · Strong recommendation · in “An Italian Song That Sounds Like English But Is Nonsense”

  3. “even for languages she doesn't actually speak, she just speaks gibberish”

    Shows someone mimicking accents of languages she does not speak.

    sampo, 2014-07 · Recommendation · in “The Benefits of Failing at French”

  4. “sounded like she was speaking those languages!”

    Viral clip of gibberish that sounds like real languages.

    wenc, 2018-01 · Recommendation · in “An Italian Song That Sounds Like English But Is Nonsense”

  5. “it's been long enough since "What Languages Sound Like To Foreigners" that some people here may have missed have missed this.”

    Older viral clip on how different languages sound to foreigners.

    etiam, 2020-12 · Recommendation · in “Animal Crossing’s fake language sounds different in Japanese”

  6. “but the others are also worth a listen!”

    Modern version of fake-language gibberish, worth a listen.

    dustintrex, 2021-12 · Recommendation · in “Fakelish – Fake English word generator”

Excerpts from Hacker News comments, linked to the originals. Summaries and labels were written by a language model from those comments.

Topics: fake languages, accents, gibberish, viral video, linguistics

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