Language quiz

Here’s a recording in a mystery language.

Do you know or can you guess which language it’s in and where it’s spoken?

Comments (21)

michael farrisFebruary 14th, 2010 at 11:04 am

Sounds a lot like the Luxembourgish newscasts I’ve heard, so I’ll guess that.

TamarFebruary 14th, 2010 at 11:49 am

I’m not familiar with Luxembourgish, so I think it’s Dutch. Something about a car crash (due to bad weather) and the financial crisis…

xarxaFebruary 14th, 2010 at 11:54 am

a german dialect, something like swiss german/alsatian/allemanisch

WillFebruary 14th, 2010 at 1:05 pm

I heard New York Times, the West Bank, a whole lot of glottal sounds, and a few interesting other sounds. I will go with Yiddish or another Jewish language.

GregFebruary 14th, 2010 at 1:28 pm

I’ll guess Luxembougish as well, also, possibly Frisian.

MiikaFebruary 14th, 2010 at 1:48 pm

Sounds Germanic. I’m going to say Yiddish.

Cefin GwladFebruary 14th, 2010 at 2:24 pm

I’m 99.9% sure it’s Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch): “Gudde Moien” at the top of the bulletin (and, extra-linguistically, the “news sting” music sounds like RTL).

It’s interesting how similar it sounds prosodically to the Hunsrückisch dialect heard in the German TV series “Heimat” — not surprisingly, I suppose, given the geographical proximity — though Luxembourgish has a much larger French admixture in it.

José FigueroaFebruary 14th, 2010 at 2:30 pm

It’s certainly very close to German dialect and a quick rummage through this website http://wings.buffalo.edu/linguistics/people/faculty/fertig/fertig/GermDialSoundlinks.html
suggests, as others have pointed out, that this is indeed Luxembourgish/Lëtzebuergesch.

Chris MillerFebruary 14th, 2010 at 3:17 pm

My thought was Luxemburgish (Lëtzebuergesch) too. Clearly related to German, but without the extra affricates if Schwyzertüütsch or the Alemannic lilt of SD or Elsässisch.

AronFebruary 14th, 2010 at 3:51 pm

My guess is also Luxembourgish. It’s reassuring to see that more knowledgeable commentators agree.

philiipsFebruary 14th, 2010 at 4:12 pm

i think its german, luxemburgish flemish or related to these

Christopher MillerFebruary 14th, 2010 at 4:23 pm

I’d add to this the fact the uvular [ʁ] instead of the [r] typical of Alemannic, and that the [tœʃn̩] I hear after “akzident” is most likely (?) töschen (?) “between”, closer to Dutch “tussen” than High German “zwischen”, it’s petty certain this is a variety of the old West Germanic continuum somewhere along the middle band east of Belgium. I think Lëtzebuergesch is a pretty good bet.

Christopher MillerFebruary 14th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

…oh, and “New York Times schreift dat” is more lower Rhine-like Middle Franconian phonology on its way to Lower Franconian (Dutch)… In German, “…schreibt, dass” and Dutch, “schrijft dat”…

Cefin GwladFebruary 14th, 2010 at 5:25 pm

You’re quite right, Christopher, about the word meaning “between” that we hear in this recording. The Luxembourgish word is “tëschent” (ë = /e/). It’s heard again (in the report about the Greek financial crisis) in “tëschent Athen”. I think that just about wraps it up, don’t you? :)

Cefin GwladFebruary 14th, 2010 at 6:51 pm

That was meant to be “ë = /ə/” {schwa, in case it dosen’t come out right this time!)

peter j. frankeFebruary 14th, 2010 at 7:46 pm

It´s not one of the Frisian languages, neither it is Dutch. I´m sure it is Luxemburgish- Letzebuergesh…

Petréa MitchellFebruary 14th, 2010 at 8:34 pm

Well, I can’t tell anything other than it sounds very German and a smidge Scandinavian to my ear, so I *will* guess Frisian.

d.m.falkFebruary 15th, 2010 at 4:24 am

Luxembourgish, most definitely, and it is indeed from RTL Lëtzebuerg (Luxembourg)– I’m listening to that very station on my iPod touch as I type… ;)

d.m.f.

SimonFebruary 15th, 2010 at 12:36 pm

The answer is Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch), which is spoken in Luxembourg

The recording comes from RTL

Learn Spanish SpainFebruary 15th, 2010 at 1:13 pm

I travelled there once so guessing it is Luxembourgish…

VatsalaFebruary 16th, 2010 at 7:20 am

I am late to the quiz.. but before i saw the comments, I heard it and had a vague idea that it could be related to Dutch or Swedish.. but I dont know either of the languages…. so that was a wild guess anyway…