* "Harshness" is subjective: What one person finds harsh, another might find musical or powerful. It depends on individual preferences and cultural context.
* Languages vary in different ways: Some languages have sounds that are difficult for speakers of other languages to pronounce, while others have complex grammatical structures.
* "Harshness" can be influenced by factors beyond the language itself: A speaker's accent, intonation, and even the content of what they are saying can all contribute to the perceived harshness of their speech.
Instead of focusing on a single "harshest" language, it's more productive to consider the phonetic and grammatical features that might contribute to a language being perceived as "harsh":
* Consonants: Languages with a high number of fricatives (like "f," "s," "th," "sh") or stop consonants (like "p," "t," "k") might be perceived as harsher.
* Vowels: Languages with limited vowel inventories or a prevalence of unrounded vowels might be perceived as less melodic.
* Tone: Languages with complex tones, like Mandarin Chinese, may sound harsher to speakers of languages without tones.
* Grammar: Languages with complicated verb conjugation or a rigid word order might be perceived as less flexible and more "harsh."
Remember, it's important to appreciate the beauty and diversity of all languages, regardless of any subjective perception of "harshness."