10 Jun 2005

Diversity of languages

Jason Kottke started another music meme: how many languages are in your music collection? I can't resist trying to work that out, so I've spent some time flipping through my CDs, and come up with a total of about 21 (depending on how you count albums by artists who sing in more than one language):

UK:

  • English (obviously)
  • Scottish Gaelic
  • Irish Gaelic

Scandinavian (or somewhere way up North):

  • Swedish
  • Finnish
  • Icelandic
  • Sami

Other European:

  • French
  • Italian
  • Spanish
  • Estonian
  • Russian
  • Bulgarian
  • Hungarian

African:

  • Swahili (Tanzania and Kenya)
  • Either Lingala, Monokutuba or Kikongo (I don't know which language Papa Wemba uses on his albums)
  • Bambara (Mali)
  • Lugana (Uganda)

Asian:

  • Tibetan
  • Urdu
  • Punjabi

Of course, it does help that I like World Music...

  1. 1

    Hmmmm, does Hopelandish count as a language? : )----- Just leaving a trackback ping. I only have a measly 13 :(

    by Radagast @ 11/06/2005 9:07 pm • Permalink

  • 2

    hey ... you don't have anything in Xhosa [a weird language spoken in south africa]. Shall I suggest you something? Well ... I have no doubt! Get a freshlyground's cd ... they are ........ I don't even know what to say. Let's say they are great but it's not just that. have a look at their web site: http://www.freshlyground.com/ keep cool

    by nourdine @ 12/06/2005 11:06 pm • Permalink

  • 3

    Why stop with earth ? http://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/mp3s/rojqoq.html

    by Devoid @ 13/06/2005 4:06 pm • Permalink

  • 4

    Nick: Maybe, (see #4) wink Radagast: 13 is very respectable, if unlucky... nourdine: No, I don't, though I love the Xhosa language. I'll have to check freshlyground out---they look great. Devoid: You've made my evening. THAT. ROCKS. :-D

    by bsag @ 13/06/2005 6:06 pm • Permalink

  • 5

    Have you heard Osibisa, the Godfathers of World Music? This was my (guest)blogging debut, courtesy of troubled diva, before I started my own nonsense..

    by Mr.D. @ 14/06/2005 11:07 am • Permalink

  • 6

    Wow! Such a long list but no Greek music in sight? Unbelievable........ You are missing out on some *serious* auditory, sensory experiences, girl... Cheers, ilias

    by iLiAS @ 15/06/2005 3:07 am • Permalink

  • 7

    Mr. D.: No, never heard of them, but they sound great. Anyone who can shine at Cranleigh Arts Centre must be good... I'll stick 'em on the wishlist. Can you particularly recommend one album for newcomers to their work? iLiAS: It's nothing personal, I just don't seem to have happened across any Greek music. Can you recommend some good artists?

    by bsag @ 15/06/2005 4:06 pm • Permalink

  • 8

    It's a tad difficult to get hold of, but the very first album (with a winged elephant cover) is pretty damn good. Some of the later ones were a bit more 'hit and miss'. 'Course, I could always knock up a compilation, in between wardrobe-construction...?

    by Mr.D. @ 16/06/2005 7:07 am • Permalink

  • 9

    Whaddya know? get in quick! (Might be cheaper than a RNLI donation...)

    by Mr.D. @ 16/06/2005 11:06 am • Permalink

  • 10

    Mr. D:. Yay! Ordered it. grin

    by bsag @ 17/06/2005 4:07 pm • Permalink

  • 11

    "Music for Gong Gong" - play it very loud..

    by Mr.D. @ 18/06/2005 7:07 am • Permalink

  • 12

    anyone else got anything in '' palare'' ? gay/gypsy/criminal slang popularised by kenneth williams on 1960s radio prog around the horne and revived by morrissey on single Piccadilly Palare c. 1991 -----

    by happyman @ 15/12/2005 10:12 am • Permalink

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