English by non English speaking people

[Overflow]

Hello,

I'm listening some songs right now. Songs performed in English by people whom native language isn't English. Although vocal is rather good, English is bad even terrible . And this is saying person (me) whom native language isn't English . Now question to all English speaking natively - do you care if you find that song performed by the Germans, the Swedes or the Cheeky Girls is that bad (in terms of the English language), that your ears is starting to fade? Or you don't...?

o.
p.s. sorry for my bad Englisch

[Amberience]

I care if their music is shit. If the music is good, I don't really give a good f**k about the vocalist.

Vocalists are seriously overrated in my opinion.

[Ja.x]

Mind that I'm also a non-native English speaker.

The correct English became not so important since the words in most songs are just insanelly repeated bullshit (even from UK, USA, etc). "Songs" are suposed to have voice, lyrics, etc. so any kind of crap can do the job; if you take some of the usual "yeah baby" stuff you can't go wrong, can you? Broken English then is the least of the problems

[djsubject]

i no understando what youz sayo?

cheeky girls verro goodo englisho

[Overflow]

i no understando what youz sayo?
cheeky girls verro goodo englisho

[Overflow]

Mind that I'm also a non-native English speaker.

The correct English became not so important since the words in most songs are just insanelly repeated bullshit (even from UK, USA, etc). "Songs" are suposed to have voice, lyrics, etc. so any kind of crap can do the job; if you take some of the usual "yeah baby" stuff you can't go wrong, can you? Broken English then is the least of the problems

I understand your point...Probably it depends on person who is listening. If it comes down to me, then I don't like English by the Russians, Tatu for example. It just makes me feel (how to say ) uncomfortable...

o.

[isdjan]

as far as i can tell as i am no native english speaker, even the ABBA lyrics were strange in some aspects - anyone to confirm this?

[Overflow]

as far as i can tell as i am no native english speaker, even the ABBA lyrics were strange in some aspects - anyone to confirm this?

I was meant more pronuncation/mispronuncation not clumsy maded sentences.

o.

[P.T.]

Who are these "Cheeky Girls" you speak of?

You can always practice pronunciation if it worries you.

[respirator]

English is two things: Several national languages and the de facto international language. The Lingua Franca.

So to speak of non-native speakers is in my opinion a mistake. The problem is with the people who speaks English as their national language. They have to learn a new language - international English - that is very close to their mother tongue but nevertheless is an entirely different beast. The international vocabulary is limited, slang and idioms even more so. And they have to accept that the national versions of English is a secondary form of English to the international version.

This is not to say that people in general speak good English. We all have a lot to learn. Participating in forums like this should help a lot, though a lot of people are very sloppy with their written language (a course of the internet and the mobile phones).

(My English is not perfect, not even close, so feel free to correct me. That’s the only way we’re going to learn).

[Glassback]

The lyrics don't matter so long as the music's good.
I'd rather listen to a song sung in Helsinkiskish and not understand a word than have to put up with something like THIS!

[nuffink]

... a lot of people are very sloppy with their written language (a course of the internet and the mobile phones).

(My English is not perfect, not even close, so feel free to correct me. That’s the only way we’re going to learn).

curse?

[Glassback]

And if we're talking about language problems:



Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8] A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18] After a number of injections my jaw got number.

19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple.

English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France.

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat.

Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth?

One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese?

Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend.

If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?

In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital?
Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?
Have noses that run and feet that smell?
How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites?

You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all.

That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

P.S. - Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

[Glassback]

So to speak of non-native speakers is in my opinion a mistake. The problem is with the people who speaks English as their national language. They have to learn a new language - international English - that is very close to their mother tongue but nevertheless is an entirely different beast. The international vocabulary is limited, slang and idioms even more so. And they have to accept that the national versions of English is a secondary form of English to the international version.

wtf are you on about?
Are you saying that the (eg) Danes speak gooder English than us?

[respirator]

... a lot of people are very sloppy with their written language (a course of the internet and the mobile phones).

(My English is not perfect, not even close, so feel free to correct me. That’s the only way we’re going to learn).

curse?

Thank you

(Glassback: Great post. A lot of ideas for lyrics?)