Why Can't Germans Say 'Squirrel'?

[Scot Dutchy]

[quote="Regina";p="1237111"]Well, I can say Enschede, at least! [/quote]


How about "meeuwen" (seagulls) or "leeuwen" (lions).

The sound does not exist in English.

[Regina]

It's fine when I replay it on my computer. Is there a problem with your speakers?
Or are you taking the piss, perhaps? Wouldn't put it past you!

[Scot Dutchy]

[quote="Regina";p="1237213"] It's fine when I replay it on my computer. Is there a problem with your speakers?
Or are you taking the piss, perhaps? Wouldn't put it past you! [/quote]

I heard it through my head phones.

Did you say (I presume it is you): "There are lot of queers in Enschede".

[Regina]

Nope, I said: There's loads of squirrels in Enschede!

[Scot Dutchy]

[quote="Regina";p="1237224"]Nope, I said: There's loads of squirrels in Enschede! [/quote]




Sorry.

[Scot Dutchy]

BTW Enschede was perfect

[Regina]

[quote="Scot Dutchy";p="1237225"][quote="Regina";p="1237224"]Nope, I said: There's loads of squirrels in Enschede! [/quote]




Sorry. [/quote]
On second thought, there might be actually more queers than squirrels in Enschede!

[cherries]

[quote="Regina";p="1237206"][quote="cherries";p="1237202"][quote="Paul G";p="1236931"][quote="Blip";p="1236837"]Although I'm a Brit, I have a slight 'literary R' and find 'squirrel' rather difficult to say. One of the 'r's falls into a bit of a 'w'; both of them on a bad day. Speaking German I always had a problem with ü - no idea why, really.[/quote]

Same.

I can't pronounce Th either. Always comes out as F.

Come on everyone lets hear your squirrels!

http://vocaroo.com/[/quote]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0wGyvUCiSaQ[/quote]
[/quote]

oh,i got it mixed up http://vocaroo.com/i/s0EtusYgqf5D

[Regina]

[SafeAsMilk]

Would any Russians here like to pronounce squirrel?

Over here, it's usually pronounced 'skwerl', only posh folks pronounce it 'skweruhl'. I don't know why you think of rednecks with the 'skwerl' pronunciation, in my experience they pronounce it 'dinner'

[Evolving]

[quote="SafeAsMilk";p="1237256"]Would any Russians here like to pronounce squirrel?

Over here, it's usually pronounced 'skwerl', only posh folks pronounce it 'skweruhl'. I don't know why you think of rednecks with the 'skwerl' pronunciation, in my experience they pronounce it 'dinner' [/quote]

I see the differences apparently begin with the first syllable: in America it begins like "squirm", whereas in England it begins like "squid".

And it seems any German who has trouble pronouncing squirrel in an English way (not any of the Germans on thi thread, obviously) can simply say he's speaking American.

[The_Piper]

[quote="Scot Dutchy";p="1237222"][quote="Regina";p="1237213"] It's fine when I replay it on my computer. Is there a problem with your speakers?
Or are you taking the piss, perhaps? Wouldn't put it past you! [/quote]

I heard it through my head phones.

Did you say (I presume it is you): "There are lot of queers in Enschede". [/quote]

I understood the sentence perfectly, except for that last word.

[quote="cherries";p="1237213"][quote="Regina";p="1237206"][quote="cherries";p="1237202"][quote="Paul G";p="1236931"]

Same.

I can't pronounce Th either. Always comes out as F.

Come on everyone lets hear your squirrels!

http://vocaroo.com/[/quote]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0wGyvUCiSaQ[/quote]
[/quote]

oh,i got it mixed up http://vocaroo.com/i/s0EtusYgqf5D[/quote]
Perfect. What was that mysterious first recording though?

[quote="SafeAsMilk";p="1236837"]Would any Russians here like to pronounce squirrel?

Over here, it's usually pronounced 'skwerl', only posh folks pronounce it 'skweruhl'. I don't know why you think of rednecks with the 'skwerl' pronunciation, in my experience they pronounce it 'dinner' [/quote]

We posh Americans who say skweruhl consider the skwerl pronunciation barbaric.
I think the entire northeast says skweruhl, except for the rednecks.

[Emmeline]

[quote="Blip";p="1236837"] Speaking German I always had a problem with ü - no idea why, really. [/quote]
When I learnt German at school, those of us with Devon accents (mine's virtually gone now) could do it easily as that's similar to how we say the "oo" sound.

We had 2 German teachers in our school and they spoke differently. One had learnt in the north and the other in the south. I think the southern one was softer on the "ch" and a bit more "sing-song" - is that right?

[SafeAsMilk]

[quote="The_Piper";p="1237299"]
We posh Americans who say skweruhl consider the skwerl pronunciation barbaric.
I think the entire northeast says skweruhl, except for the rednecks. [/quote]
Damn, a redneck I must be I do like to call them 'quibbles', but that's another story. Not redneck at all.
[quote="Evolving";p="1237299"]
I see the differences apparently begin with the first syllable: in America it begins like "squirm", whereas in England it begins like "squid".
[/quote]
Yeah, that makes sense. I tried saying it like "squid" without the "uh" at the end. It was hard, but I felt very English

And it seems any German who has trouble pronouncing squirrel in an English way (not any of the Germans on thi thread, obviously) can simply say he's speaking American.

Actually, I need to listen to some recordings of Germans saying squirrels. If that one video of Life trying to pronounce forum member's name is any indication, it should be

[cherries]

[quote="The_Piper";p="1237299"]
Perfect. What was that mysterious first recording though? [/quote]
"eichhörnchen" is german for squirrel

[The_Piper]

[quote="cherries";p="1237349"][quote="The_Piper";p="1237299"]
Perfect. What was that mysterious first recording though? [/quote]
"eichhörnchen" is german for squirrel [/quote]
Thanks Cherries.

[cherries]

..pleasure

[THWOTH]

[quote="Scot Dutchy";p="1237222"][quote="Regina";p="1237213"] It's fine when I replay it on my computer. Is there a problem with your speakers?
Or are you taking the piss, perhaps? Wouldn't put it past you! [/quote]

I heard it through my head phones.

Did you say (I presume it is you): "There are lot of queers in Enschede". [/quote]

[Scot Dutchy]

[quote="cherries";p="1237349"][quote="The_Piper";p="1237299"]
Perfect. What was that mysterious first recording though? [/quote]
"eichhörnchen" is german for squirrel [/quote]

Eekhorn in Dutch.

The German I really like to listen to is Austrian German. I understand every word without any problem. Swiss German is a strange beast.

I like the Dutch from the province of Gelderland in the east. Much easier on the ear than say Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

[NilsGLindgren]

[quote="Scot Dutchy";p="1237858"]Swiss German is a strange beast.
[/quote]
A guy we soemtimes visit in Alsace says he understands the Schwyzerdeutsch from aroud Basel, but further to the East they are incomprehensible to him (he speaks Alemannish apart from French).