Various languages are seen as posh. Others are not. But this begs the question, what are the most sophisticated languages? Here they are!
13. Hungarian
When speaking about sophisticated languages, Hungarian probably isn’t the one that comes to mind (it’s probably #1 or #4!) However, there is certainly a degree of sophistication that comes with learning a difficult language!
And Hungarian is by far one of the most difficult languages to learn on the planet!
To many, Hungarian may not sound sophisticated, perhaps more barbarian-like than sophisticated. But I assure you, if you are able to master such a unique and difficult language, it certainly classes as sophisticated!
Perhaps, you could argue that this is more true than for other so-called “sophisticated languages”!
12. European Spanish
Personally, as a Catalan translator, I find Spanish to be more rough than my preferred Catalan. Whilst it is indeed less prestigious than French or Latin may be, it still holds a lot of prestige in Europe. At least linguistically it does.
European Spanish was at one point the Lingua Franca for all of Europe, even surpassing Latin!
After Italian and French, Spanish is probably one of the more respected romance languages (or even European languages for that matter!)
In fact, many posh people in the UK, especially, have taken the time to learn Spanish. This has probably helped to foster this image in people’s minds!
11. Korean
Korean too, is very similar to Hungarian. Not really in terms of its vocabulary (obviously) but in terms of its difficulty and sophistication.
Because Korean is simply so difficult to learn (being as close to a language isolate as possible!) it carries the same sense of sophistication that Hungarian does also!
Plus, Korean is also held in high regards in the East. Alongside Japanese (more on them in a minute!), Korean has quite a good reputation, mostly thanks to their expansionist companies and friendship with the United States!
Besides, Korean also sounds amazing! At least, more so than Mandarin anyway!
10. Australian English
Many people talk about the sophistication of the British English language. However, Australian English is just as sophisticated, if not more so!
How? To many non-native English speakers, the Australian accent is very similar to the British one… or at least according to my two French friends at least!
Australian English is very similar to British English. Australian English shares standard British spellings, however, other parts are entirely borrowed from indigenous languages.
For many, Australian English has the pzazz of American English, that makes it so popular. But it also has that typical British class. That typical British upper class accent!
9. Italian
Some consider Latin (more on them later!) to be one of the most sophisticated languages to speak. So, why is it that we should forget the heir to Latin’s throne?
… Or at least Latin’s closest living language- Italian!
Italian has the best of both worlds in my opinion. It has the linguistic zeal that French offers, but also the heritage from Latin that gives it an old feel!
Plus, Italian is one of the easiest languages to learn!
8. Arabic
Personally, I’m not too sure about this one. However, I have been assured by several friends that Arabic carries a certain sophistication to it.
In the Middle East, Arabic is used as the Lingua Franca, as all Muslims are supposed to know how to read Arabic, so that they can read the Quran.
Arabic is also used to call for prayer int he Middle East, and is used in a song to do so (I’m not sure if it’s actually a song or a musical instrument by the way!)
And the ability to use language as a song certainly has a degree of sophistication to it!
7. Japanese
Just as with Korean before, Japanese carries with it a certain prestige. Whilst this is mainly in the East, a lot of it has come to the US and UK in recent years.
Many well-educated and more upper-class friends of mine have taken to learning Japanese in recent years.
In fact, one of them went to Japan a few years ago, lived with a Japanese family and married their daughter! His new in-laws are some of the most well-respected and posh people in not only Japan, but the West too!
It’s partly for that reason why Japanese has made it on my list. But also the fact that Japanese is also considered to be one of the softest language to listen to. And indeed, that is truly so!
6. Russian
Russia generally isn’t associated with upper-class or being sophisticated whatsoever… or at least in the West it isn’t…
However, if you were to go to Eastern Europe or even parts of the former-USSR in Asia, they’d probably say Russian was more sophisticated than any other language on this list!
This is mostly down to the fact that many of these countries have abandoned their use of the Russian language. And the only people who still use it are the wealthy landlords that bought up much of the land when the USSR collapsed.
Therefore, Russian has since gained a reputation. Those who speak Russian must be rich, well-educated and sophisticated. And those who speak the local language are not.
5. Urdu
I have already mentioned how Arabic is one of the most sophisticated languages in the world, but what of its sub-continental counterpart?
Urdu is a combination of both Arabic and Persian. Best of all? In the Sub-continent at least, it is mainly spoken by the more sophisticated residents. Lawyers, diplomats, and even the various royal families too!
There’s got to be something sophisticated about a language that can only be grasped by those of certain professions!
4. British English
When you think of someone who’s posh, at least if you’re Amercian, you think of someone who’s British. Usually, this is received pronunciation, sounding much like the Queen of England.
As a Brit myself, I find it difficult to understand why Americans seem to believe all British people are posh. However, I do understand that received pronunciation (how the Queen talks) is very common when talking about ‘British people’.
For me, I don’t find British English to be one of the most sophisticated languages. However, I have also met my fair share of people who would disagree with me! Even some of my closest friends would disagree with me!
3. Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the first of the two original Lingua Francas. Whilst almost no one has the ability to speak Ancient Greek, those who can are a rare group. Mostly consisting of archaeologists and university lecturers.
And these jobs require a certain degree of sophistication to them! So it only makes sense that the language they use also has a degree of sophistication attached to it!
Plus, Ancient Greek does sound quite cool when spoken. Almost like a proto-Latin but with heavy Greek and Indo-European undertones. Certainly sophisticated if you ask me! Almost like a Latin-Greek hybrid language!
2. Latin
Latin is the second of the two original Lingua Francas. And is perhaps more socially adept. This is mostly down to how it was used as the language of kings and clergy throughout the Middle Ages.
When you think of someone who is sophisticated and well-educated, you think of someone who speaks Latin. After all, there’s a certain je ne sais quoi about someone who can speak a language over 2000 years old!
People also agree that French is one of the most sophisticated languages on the planet. Yet they overlook the fact that Latin is where French can trace a lot of its roots from!
1. European French
When you think of poshness and upper class, you probably think of someone who can speak either French or the aforementioned Latin.
French has that certain je ne sais quoi about it. It was the Lingua Franca for business, diplomacy and everything else for hundreds of years… literally. This meant that anyone who was anyone spoke French.
In fact, due to this, French has become almost synonymous with royalty, poshness and wealth in the west. If you’re ambitious, and want to get ahead in life, you probably want to know French.
In fact, the royal families of most countries still speak French as a Lingua Franca for all of those royal weddings they’re attending! Just as their ancestors did starting long before the Grandmother of Europe!
To accompany this, many businessmen speak French too! Some businessmen who speak French include:
- Paul Bulcke
- Tidjane Thiam
- Leo Apotheker
Do you have any other sophisticated languages? Tell me in the comments!