Why Can't Germans Say 'Squirrel'?

[Blip]

[quote="Evolving";p="1236888"]First I need to understand what on earth a literary 'r' is...
[/quote]

At its most exaggerated, 'wobin wedbweast' but I'm not nearly that bad.

[Evolving]

Adorable.

But my lessons, unfortunately, are irrelevant as we would never use an English R anyway: you always have to roll it. Even when singing in English. So I'm unable to help - sorry!

[The_Piper]

Thought as much.

Somewhat back on topic: can Americans say "squirrel"? I have this mental image of George W. Bush having a go and saying "squirr'l", just as a German might.

skwurull.
Themz so cute.

[Paul G]

[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/

[HughMcB]

What's wrong with you people, speak properly, the Queen's English and all, what what!

[The_Piper]

[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.

Same.

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

Come on everyone lets hear your squirrels!

http://vocaroo.com/[/quote]
Whad'ya fink?

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Zgp1Q4fx68

[Regina]

[quote="The_Piper";p="1237004"][quote="Paul G";p="1237004"][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]
Whad'ya fink?

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Zgp1Q4fx68[/quote]
I fink that you've got a very nice voice on you there. What I don't get is this obsession with cute animals. Loads of people have it here.

[Paul G]

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0c3uVHUWBZA

I sort of managed an "rr"

[The_Piper]

[quote="Paul G";p="1237049"]http://vocaroo.com/i/s0c3uVHUWBZA

I sort of managed an "rr" [/quote]
I heard 2 r's, like this...Squirwroh. Just kidding, I like the English accent.

[quote="The_Piper";p="1237049"]
Whad'ya fink?

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0Zgp1Q4fx68[/quote]

[quote="Regina";p="1237049"]
I fink that you've got a very nice voice on you there. What I don't get is this obsession with cute animals. Loads of people have it here. [/quote]
Thank you Regina!
I don't know why. Maybe it's from seeing cartoons as a kid, things like that. I realize the wild critters I think of as cute are usually adults living a mostly harsh and serious life.
Woodchucks live in my yard and have babies every year, the cuteness of that is genuine. The one in my avatar is a young one from last year.

[Regina]

The American woodchuck is more properly known as the groundhog (or even more properly as Marmota monax), but by any name is a big bellied pest with an insatiable appetite for everything and anything in the backyard garden. Except perhaps for hot peppers.

Don’t try telling me that they’re cute. I’ve seen ‘chucks who probably weighed as much as 30 pounds, although half that weight is the norm. Come to think of it, Norm on Cheers looked a bit like the ‘chuck who used to patrol our backyard until Jack and Nicky, brother-sister chocolate Labradors, arrived on the scene.

from here: http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http ... Ag&dur=547

[Scot Dutchy]

Germans cant say "Op Scheveningen's Strand" (on Scheveningen's beach it is the seaside by the Hague) like a Dutchman.

The Dutch resistance used that in the war to find out German spies.

It is the "sch" sound. Very different in Dutch.

[Regina]

Well, I can say Enschede, at least!

[Paul G]

I can't say Ich properly. As Ich bin ein Bratwurst.

[Regina]

[quote="Paul G";p="1237118"]I can't say Ich properly. As Ich bin ein Bratwurst.[/quote]
If you can pronounce Loch Ness, than you can pronounce ich properly, well almost.
But why are you a sausage?

[natselrox]

[Regina]

Scot, this one is for you!


http://vocaroo.com/i/s0C5rU5RKHWi

[natselrox]

And I'm not drunk.

[cherries]

[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

[Regina]

[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]

[Scot Dutchy]

[quote="Regina";p="1237137"]Scot, this one is for you!


http://vocaroo.com/i/s0C5rU5RKHWi[/quote]

Sorry I cant understand it.