this is so interesting and hilarious at the same time. 🤣language is truly a fascinating concept, and no matter how much you learn about it, and regardless of what language or languages you speak, you always can find something new.
This is hilarious! Some in the US would be offended by people attempting to mimic how Japanese sounds, because of political correctness. The same people would evoke a double standard with this video and say that it is great. As for me, I found mimicing languages by people who dont speak it, insanely funny, regardless to who and what language.
Ha! The tables are turned! I wish I could play this for every ignorant person that tries to imitate Asian languages. This was refreshing to see, thank you Yuta!
During language learning At a certain age babies will become deaf in a sense to certain sounds in a lanague that they don’t speak which is why it’s hard for us to recreate it especially at a later age.
Japanese is actually has way more tonality. US then, UK on top I guess. But other European countries have a very monotone voice. Maybe it's because people who travel are usually ecstatic and the loud folk
@@randomdudejohn Maybe. But seafoods like cooked squid & Octopus r actually popular cuisines in Japan, as well as Octopus in big-brand logo, and because English is the main abroad language studied in schools there, i now probably see the sense
Because my country objective together. Im a project ojdfcts one two octopus. Octopus together shadowy shadowy octopus shadowy. Eight eight eight town. Eight town? Eight town. My name is eight town.
while listening to some one talk no matter what your native language is just go off into a trance and do not focus on any words what being said instead clear your mind and soon you start hearing only syllables sounds and pitches that what I think it sounds like
It's weird for me since I grew up in China when I was a child without knowing English at all. Thing is I watched so many American movies like scream, spider man, transformers etc with subtitles on, that English didn't sound that weird? So when I lived in England, English wasn't that weird, but there was a time I remember where my thoughts suddenly turned English, and that was a hella weird experience. It was absurd and also fascinating because it was basically like I was creating stories in my head in mandarin as usual but then have certain characters speaking in English. Then over a period of a few years, I completely lost my ability to speak mandarin. I went from fluent, to it's all gone
@@KaliBella That, "Hello, Hi", "Goodbye", "Sorry" are probably the first words non-English speakers learn. And also cuss words. The first ones I remember learning back when I was a kid were "Sorry" and "Hot Wheels".
Some of these are hilarious. My mom had an Italian boyfriend once who, after learning the word rhubarb, said that he thought that word was the closest to what English generally sounded like. English sounded like "Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb? Rhubarb! Rhubarb rhubarb" to him.
That’s actually funny bc my theatre director would make us say “rutabega rutabega rutabega” for like whispering scenes or scenes where background characters were supposed to have a silent or low toned conversation, not rhubarb but … close enough
As an American I am just now realizing how much we don’t only use our words to speak but also the tone of voice the fluctuation of tone and physical communication
I find, though, that at least in media, Japanese people tend to speak much more dramatically than we do, and it sounds more natural. It's why I definitely prefer subs over dubs when watching Japanese media, even though I speak basic Japanese.
@@vorpal22 understandable I have actual Japanese and Korean friends what is mainstreamed is overly exaggerated like americans stupidity is over exaggerated in media as well They are very quiet
@@yhwhisgod7773 LOL before I spoke Mandarin, in one of my classes at university, there were a lot of students from China, and they would basically be yelling at each other... but when they spoke English, they would almost just whisper. One time I was sitting next to three Chinese women and they were having a loud conversation together and then one of them turned to me and said so quietly I could barely hear her, "Excuse me sir... can you please move your book?" I have taken Japanese classes and yes, the way the teachers taught were nothing like on the media. I guess the media here is pretty dramatic in English too. Just the gasps and high pitched voices and overly dramatic inflections sound natural to me from anime and video games, and really unnatural when English voice actors try to do similar things. I guess it's just what you're used to.
@@squiggleworks9 I don't think we use our hands nearly as much as this video shows... but maybe Japanese people do very little (I'm not sure), so by comparison to them, it might seem like a lot.
I ran into a gal that had the American southern accent. What’s funny is when they don’t even know it! Then there are those who learned English from England - of course, right?!
The guy at the end was the best! "Because my country object to give together. I'm a project oats ski and one two octopus. Octopus together, together shadowy. Shadowy. Octopus shadowy. And ay, ate. Eight town. Hazel town? And my name is Ate a Town."
3:42 as a sim myself, i can confirm that this girl was actually speaking fluent simlish. very impressed with her accent, she could just as well be native!
what was really interesting to me here is that almost every person here impersonating an English speaker completely changed their body language. they started moving their hands and just generally moved more. They also spoke louder often. I find it fascinating how you can aquire different personality traits in different languages. the other language is associated with different things. I'm also more outgoing in English than in my native tongue because I made other experiences while speaking English and the culture around the language is different.
So when I get my nails done, I always notice that they talk from different sides of the shop. I was so fascinated when I was younger by that lol. I’m assuming since they don’t talk as lousy as we do on a normal basis that they can also hear better. I’m sure it’s a more scientific way of putting that
I'm an eastcoaster American. And the fact that everyone is adding in those hand gestures, shrugs, and head nods cracked me the fuck up. Too close to accurate XD
this video was giving me hardcore agita and I wasn't sure why, it took me a solid minute to realize that it was from seeing Japanese people in Japan waving their hands around and speaking loudly in public
That last kid had it down! That was terrific! I love hearing how goofy English sounds to other people who don't speak it. What fun people. Warm wishes from Minnesota! ❤️❤️❤️
It's hilarious when they only know a few words. If somebody asked me to do the same thing but for Japanese, I would just be saying hello, thank you, and listing off food items lol 😆
God this is trippy, like for me i think it’s pretty easy to imitate Japanese or Chinese, but I can’t imagine imitating my own language. But then these guys did it and it’s weird to think that’s how they hear us
Unless you actually speak Chinese or have been studying Chinese for a long time 100% my friend, you will get those tones wrong lol 😂 such subtle tone changes make it soooooo hard. My daughter has been taking Mandarin since she was 4 (she is now 12- continues to take it in school and we pay privately for lessons outside of school), she can read, write, and speak it and when she’s trying to teach me things I swear I’m repeating correctly and she’s like nope the tone is off which changes entire meaning. Having began so early, she’s pretty close accent wise to a native speaker (which throws people entirely off because we’re Latino).
@@krystinas8828 yeah I really wish I properly learnt a language since I was young, i was taught a couple in school, but I didn’t take it seriously and can remember hardly any of it
Its because they are imitating the sound they hear when they listen to a foreigner speak, not the actual words. It’d be hard to imitate a language you know because your brain would think “ok i just need to say some words i know” But it wouldnt turn out gibberish because you usually dont know how your language sounds like to a foreigner. But you can try turning on a video/movie in a foreign language and you will be able to imitate the sound they make even though you dont understand what they are saying.
This is so cute. I am American and I understand what they are saying about us being very "animated" when we talk. Not only do we use our hands to talk, but we also have natural inflection (our voice rises and falls within the sentence to put emphasis on syllables).
Very true. I think a lot of English speakers use hand motions to better convey the emotion that the sentence is based on, since most sentences can be used for the same emotion. Something like “That person is driving too fast!” Pointing and hand motions that go up in the air can express that the sentence is being used in an annoyed way, compared to hand motions that perhaps go to the chest or face express the sentence in a more concerned way. In English tone is very important too for the same reason.
It’s like funny that Americans gesture is far more exaggerated than let’s say Italians and Spaniards and then they stereotype other countries as loud, exaggerated and boisterous.
This was such a fun watch! I didn’t realize how loud and choppy we sound, so many languages sound so musical and I’m sure no one will describe American English that way lol. And some of the random words that popped up in the imitations made me laugh, especially “octopus”!
We hosted an exchange student from Japan. The first time she heard the word octopus her eyes got huge and then she laughed for about ten minutes straight.
The guy that belted “UNITED STATES AMERICA!” and the one who was obviously imitating rap music made me so happy. I’m now just a touch self conscious about how loud we are in voice and gesture. “1,2,Octopus” guy did a better impression of an English speaker than I could do of a Japanese speaker! (Except I’d be the “hello frog” gal because that’s all I know how to say in Japanese!)
It’s better to gesture and actually have personality instead of Japanese culture where we act like scared schoolchildren afraid to move at all. Expressive is good.
My ex would constantly tell me I’m talking too loud. Her dad had to go to the byouin and they almost didn’t let me come with them because they thought I’d disturb the other patients.
@@rplatt9829 From a family with living Mexican roots on my mother's side, can confirm Mexicans can get loud, especially at parties and over modelo beer. From the outsider it might sound like a confrontation, but they're just excited and happy to have everyone together... I think. Everyone speaks and understands spanish instead of me, only learned english because speech impediment when I was little.
I love the fact that Americans are immediately depicted by flailing arms, random screams, and hyper pronunciation. They're pretty accurate. Their reactions to their own immitations are priceless 😊
I'm amused that many of the people start using their hands. I'm an American who talks with his hands, and other Americans think it's weird. So funny to me that's how they picture English speakers in general.
Japanese are polite and clear communicators. They do not wave their hands about when they speak. So naturally when they imitate American English speakers they speak over assertively, wave their hands about and point their fingers like Americans do, particularly American young women.
They all did really good. I find it hilarious how each one of them started using their hands! Most of us do talk with our hands moving a lot so that was pretty bang on. This was really interesting. To a lot of English people many Asian languages are more musical sounding, the cadence of the voice goes up and down a lot. So it’s interesting to know what they think when they hear English. Loud, and with a lot of hand gestures apparently, lol.
@@disappointmant5887 You're right. Maybe I should elaborate. I can understand that they believe in a stereotype that they have of how English sounds. But there so much more. It has nothing to do with hands or anything of the sort because so many different cultures speak English. Even asians. Arabs, Africans, Indians, all speak English. But I feel that the OC only took one part of the English culture and called it spot on. That's like me saying Ching Chong sounds like asians but forgetting that some are tonal and others are verbal while maybe a few bow during a greeting. It's just too general of a comment for me to agree. But I see where they're coming from.
@@louismoore6004 actually hand gestures and other body movements are a big part of being a native English speaker. English is full of words and sayings that can mean something different based of your body language. Hand signals and gestures also have alot of meaning unlike other languages, English in comparison to Asian languages is much more "energetic" and "exaggerated". It's no wonder they all had similar interpretations of it. Instead of taking offense maybe try to understand the nuances of your own language through a foreigners perspective? Every language is diverse not just English.
THE HANDS! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 that’s us 😂I laughed so hard at this. I now have confirmation that, yes, we sound like the Sims 😂😂😂 thanks, Yuta! I needed that laugh today!
This must be why Americans need so much personal space... you really need at least a couple of feet buffer so you don't whack your hands into each other!
I think The Sims were intended to sound just close enough to real speech cadence to trick your head. They did a great job with the design of that game.
They're so good at it. XD And it's very insightful - I wouldn't have thought of the sharp inflection changes as a distinctive element. I like the way they incorporate motions too.
I dont think its really that, think of it like this, try speaking indian, or some other language you dont know, because you dont know how they say stuff everything comes out gibberish and not so much how it actually sounds, yah know
4:37 “Because my country eh object e ew together I’m a project ode key eh one two octopus octopus together together shadow shadowy shadowy octopus shall we ay ay ate ay duh ay da town ay da town at my name is ay da town 😌”
This is very funny. When I was a kid I would try to imitate other languages and I always just made a bunch of sounds very fast. Especially Spanish or Chinese. When I heard the real language I felt like they speak way faster than the English language so I would try to make different sounds as fast as possible. It's funny to see them doing the same exact thing for the English language.
1:06 Tell me why my brain really thought it was understanding what he was saying omfg. This is so amazing, I need more content of people trying to emulate the sounds of a language that isn't theirs
The ones who interspersed actual English words and just supplemented the rest with other phonemes were my favorites but I also like the one who was just like "aaaaaaaaahhhhh"
@@morganalston6579 I guess they get most of their exposure to English through American tourists and American TV and movies. So they get this exaggerated energetic version of English.
Their cadence, volume, and motions are so on point that my brain rushes to try and understand the nonsense sounds some of these people just said. Language is incredible, its amazing what can be conveyed without meaning
Exactly, for every language there's like, this specific sound people make. As someone who's not native American, I noticed the difference between multiple languages, and how it's very important to get that feel if you're trying to learn a specific one. Americans are more outgoing with loud vowels that requires constant use of lips and tongue to make words sound correct. Hispanic speak a lot faster with a different "throat" tone, and Danes use their throats very often for the majority of words which requires specific sounds, and so goes on.. They're all unique and if you get the sound right, (Besides knowing the language) you'll pretty much be fluent.
It's so interesting that everyone starts speaking with more hand gestures and head movements! Shows the differences in unspoken language we often dont think about when communicating, and don't pat as much attention to compared to the actual words we say but are clearly a fundamental part of language.
Sad for our culture that we are a little repressed. Americans can say things. There’s a lot of work and being apart of the crowd with Asian culture. You should be able to speak.
It's an interesting observation but I think you'd find anyone using more hand gestures and movement when they're trying to imitate another language. If you asked an american to imitate japanese they'd probably start bowing a lot and doing other exaggerated movements.
Apparently English speakers use a lot more hand gestures and sound very certain and emphatic about whatever we are saying! We sound like we're making declarations.
@@littlebabyghost8343it’s probably more of a you thing or an area thing because I pay an unhealthy amount of attention to people’s gestures and yea even English speakers themselves sometimes don’t realize how often they do it.
"Octopus shall we?" Yes, we shall. xD Also HUGE respect to these people doing this, because it's heckin' hard to pretend to speak a language on command. xD
Thanks for mentioning "Octopus" So I was hearing it right. ~ I just lost my best friend, and in our last conversation she said you will know it's me reaching out to you when you hear a reference to an Octopus. ~ She believed this was possible, I don't. I don't know what to make of it. ~ I was laughing until I heard that. Laughter is what had brought us together. Is that you Kathleen?
When I lived in Japan from 2010-2020, I often asked my friends what I sound like when I was speaking native English to my wife or kids, and they did almost exactly the same thing displayed in this video. haha. I love it.
The girl at 1:30 did an amazing impression, and it was actual english words too. That's what most of us sound like to me too XD A lot of these impressions are really good.
It sounded to me like a coworker that's really busy at work trying to get someone to leave her alone without being impolite by just saying "go away" or "leave me alone" or "I'm busy". The mind is preoccupied and can't produce intelligible speech so you just get a few vague half pronounced words with a general feel for the intent. Her: "I'm so, uh, nothing, don't, much, and, uh, conversation now, and, so, jusleavmhere" Coworker: "Got it"
Every impression is better than the last. It's really interesting to hear what my native language sounds like to people that don't understand it. Everybody nailed it, especially with the hand gestures and our natural inflections and tones of voice when we speak
As a third generation Japanese American I can’t tell you how shocked I was when I visited Japan a few years back. Every place was so quiet! The trains, the stores, the restaurants… it made me realize how loud us Americans are!
@@JennisisTheXMormonAlien well what about Latino countries and European countries? People are are also loud. Maybe because on the west we’re taught to be quite inside rooms and certain buildings, but outside it’s a public space. So it’s fine to be loud.😂 it’s just a cultural difference.
as a taiwanese american when i visited taiwan for the first time i had the same experience! in the public transport especially, people are very quiet. as an introvert, i love it
I love the way almost every person raises their voice because we’re known for talking so damn loud. Edit: By “we’re” I mean Americans like myself; European English speakers tend to be pretty tame (at least on terms of volume 😅)
I mean it just kinda Americans though, I'm british and Americans are quite rare here but once I was walking through town in quite a large busy open space and there was this american guy talking to his kid and his voice was super obvious, it cut through the crowd like I could hear him from 150ft away over everyone else really clearly, the accent really stood out too and yet all he was doing was talking to his son lol
The rest of them pretty much spoke gibberish meanwhile the woman at 1:58's go-to English word is *"Y E E T"* and I absolutely love it If that last guy saying "Octopus" did a Ted talk all about octopuses, I'd watch it
They are all entirely correct. I also love that guy talking about "my country" and octopus, and the lady in pink! She had me fully convinced she was telling me a story! That's exactly what we sound like.
