Are you an American whose only image of German is the sound of Hitler’s speeches?
Seriously, an American colleague once told me that many Americans grow up thinking that all German speakers sound like the Führer.
Believe me: that is not the case. The style of his speeches today is derided, and it would seem comical if the implications hadn’t been that cataclysmic.
And then there’s the diversity of how German sounds. Germany, Austria and Switzerland have their respective distinct versions of Hochdeutsch (Received Pronunciation counterpart). And then there’s dialects. Many of them. Some more charming, others perhaps indeed ugly from the perspective of a different region.
But try to seat together a guy from Chur, Switzerland; Klagenfurt, Austria; and Stralsund, Germany. And see how “similar” they sound!
Comment on the side: not a fan of those why questions, making assumptions. Why is German so ugly? Because you say so? For sure not.
