>the entire 3 years I lived in Germany it sounded like barking dogs when people spoke. Just the sounds and rhythm.. Now Spanish, French, and Italian sound beautiful even when they are using 'ugly' words. :o)
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Where were you stationed?

I was in Bad Kreuznach, which is about 50 miles west of Frankfurt. The German there wasn't nearly as gutteral as (I am told) is the case in much of the rest of Germany. I pronounce The "ch" ending as "sh" (ich == eesh). I remember going to midnight mass one Christmas and thinking that the sound of the language was quite beautiful. Not quite as melodic as Italian or French, but certainly prettier than the New York City accent I used when speaking American.