How English sounds to non-English speakers

Brian and Karl · 54.7M views · 2011-10-08 · 4:06

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Overview

'Skwerl' is a short film by Brian and Karl made entirely in fake English, imitating how English sounds to people who don't speak it. It was made for Kino Sydney and shown on QI.

On Hacker News

HN cites it as the best-known example of gibberish that mimics the sound of a language, in threads about fake languages and nonsense imitations.

Recommended by 1 HN people across 1 months · HN mentions 2013–2017

Topics

Language & linguistics Stand-up & sketch comedy

What people said

tehmaco · 2017-07 · Recommendation
There's a short film on YouTube that explores that idea: [VIDEO] It's a very strange experience hearing it!
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niccaluim · 2015-12 · Reference
I wonder what RNN-generated fake Latin characters would look like. Sort of a handwriting version of that "what does English sounds like to non-English-speaking people" video. ( [VIDEO] )
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CKKim · 2013-01 · Reference
A similar effect can be heard in "Skwerl (How English sounds to non-English speakers)": [VIDEO] (speaking starts at 0m30s). It's not quite as good, is it? I wonder if this effect is easier to achieve in a song or if it's more a case of how much time, talent, and effort goes into making it.
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Sources

Video by Brian and Karl, played through YouTube.

HN Library · Source license

Data and selection notes

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