I am sorry do you have something caught in your throat?

On Sunday at our church, a soloist sang Psalms 23 in French. This was in honor of a visitor from West Africa. While I listened to her sing I thought WOW the French language is beautiful. Now I know this is not an original thought but someone please tell me why did the French get the nice sounding language, while my ancestors got all the harsh sounds? Let’s take the name Van Gogh for instance. We say is as if the Gogh sounded like the word go (as in go dogs go) Not too harsh right? But no, the Dutch actually pronounce the Gogh as if you have some phlegm caught in your throat and you are choking on it. Seriously, that is how you pronounce it. Van – choking on spit sound. Beautiful! Now I don’t know much about the French language but I sure that even when they are trying to say something mean and menacing to you, it probably sounds like a whispering brook as it ripples over soft smooth stones. (Or like those Elves talk in LOTR. OK actually elfish sounds more like the smooth brook thing but with paper rustling in the back ground. It is a little annoying. And has anyone else noticed that in LOTR, when the music is calm it has a part that sounds exactly like – This is my Father’s World? And when it starts to build up to a crescendo it sounds like Timon’s warthog song – When I was a Young Wart Hog! Maybe it is just me. And now can you guess what we watched this weekend??) Anyhow, the song was lovely and it made me think for a moment that I might like to learn French but then I decided I am doomed by my ancestor’s mouth and I do not think I could form such lovely words. OR, I will admit it, speak so quietly.