There are around 7000 languages worldwide and many more dialects. "Big 7 Travel," an American website for travel, hotels and indulgence, wanted to know from its readership which language or dialect they find particularly sexy. Surveying people around the world has produced an interesting result. And the justifications provide a small insight into acoustic preferences. Here is the result of the top 50 for languages and dialects.
50. Croatian: The least popular Slavic accent made it to last place.
49. Romanian: Even though it bears a bit of resemblance to Italian, Romanian doesn't come across as well.
48. Thai: Thai has a wide range of sounds, but the "Big 7 Travel" readers don't find it sexy.
47. Urdu: Considered Indian by many, particularly sexy by few, the national language of Pakistan is one of more than 50 languages in the country.
46. German: Our language sounds unfriendly to many, so it doesn't help that it is valued as very clear.
45. Welsh: Gentle and lyrical are the qualities attributed to this beautiful language. But sexy? none.
44. New Yorkese: Fast, totally nasal and quite charming - sometimes.
43. Standard Chinese: This Mandarin-based language has diverse tones and is quite soft-sounding.
42. Japanese: Kind and easy to understand.
41. Geordie: This dialect from the area of Newcastle, Great Britain, however, is hardly understood by non-natives.
40. Latvian: Even if the language of Latvia sounds a bit like Russian, it differs acoustically in its long vowels.
39. Malaysian: The Malaysian language is becoming increasingly Americanized.
38. Austrian: Significantly more musical than German, sometimes almost "warbling".
37. Norwegian: This language is said to have a certain singsong.
36. Egyptian: With around 5000 years of tradition, the language with the longest written record, less throaty in sound than Arabic.
35. Swiss: This can vary from Swiss German to -French or -Italian and has been given a solid place for it.
34. Russian: Short vowels and a strong sound, that goes down quite well.
33. Greek: Not quite as melodic as Spanish, but not to be scoffed at either.
32. Scouse: Another British specialty, the distinctive Liverpool accent is well received.
31. Dutch: Powerful and cheerful, say those who must know.
30. (Whatever happened here, "Big 7 Travel" doesn't say what language ended up here...)
29. Nigerian: Around 250 languages are spoken in Nigeria, but they all have in common that they are strong and rolling.
28. Bostonian: Often imitated and parodied, this American accent has suffered.
27. Polish: One of the most popular Slavic languages.
26. Hindi: The official language, one of the 121 languages of India, sounds quick and easy.
25. Vietnamese: 84 million Vietnamese speak it as their mother tongue, 10 million as a second language, it goes up and down a lot in terms of the sound.
24. Mexican: The Mexican dialects are short and sweet and much softer than Spanish.
23. Turkish: The many regional dialects sound nice, but they are not really sexy yet, the survey found.
22. Maghrebi Arabic: The dialects from this language group are mutually intelligible, throaty with an almost French sound. They are spoken in Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya.
21. Filipino: The 171 languages of the Philippines sound polite and soft, lovely to the ears of the poll voters.
20. Shona: The Bantu language spoken in Zimbabwe and Mozambique sounds old-fashioned, vowels are pronounced openly.
19. Argentinean: Argentinean Spanish differs in pronunciation, grammar and vocabulary from those used in Spain and other Latin American countries and even excites Spaniards.
18. Mankun: And another British dialect with its own name, which according to a survey is even worth visiting the city of Manchester.
17. Jamaican: Whether it's English or Jamaican Creole, the lively sound is pretty sexy.
16. Danish: While it is said that many hate the language, "Big 7 Travel" readers really like it.
15. Ukrainian: The East Slavic language hardly differs from Russian, only it sounds a bit clearer.
14. Hungarian: The language is particularly well received when sung, it has a natural rhythm in the consonants.
13. Canadian English: The mixture of American and British English and the subtle sound of the vowels characterize this language.
12. The Queen's English: Clear and concise, it's totally posh!
11. Czech: Soft and sung, the language caresses the ear, which science deals with under the glorious name Bohemian Studies (which goes back to Bohemia).
10. Brazilian Portuguese: Now it's getting exciting, because the Brazilian overtone puts Portuguese in the top ten for sex appeal.
9. Southern English: Who could resist the slow, drawn-out English spoken in this part of the United States?
8. Spanish: Crazy fast and fluent, it captivates everyone.
7. French: It should come as no surprise that the language of love made the top ten.
6. Scottish: Rich sound and strong vowels, sexy!
5. Australian English: Heavily stretched and truncated at the end, howdy!
4. Italian: Beautiful and wonderfully sexy, every word.
3. Irish: It doesn't matter whether it's north or south, Irish slangs all hit home.
2. Afrikaans: The South African language, which originated from Dutch, is loved all over the world.
1. Kiwi: Baaaam! The New Zealand dialect convinced the "Big 7 Travel" readers, it sounds so charming that it was voted "most sexy accent".
