A "wonk" is like a "maven." Does that confound you further?
As for gutteral languages, my late wife was Dansh, and I used to tease her that Danish was more like a throat disease than a language.
I happen to love the sound of French - even the stacatto fast Parisian variety. Italian, of course, is the most beautiful of all.
To my ear, Canadian French is a bit harsher than, say, the French of the Loire Valley. The plosive consonants seem to be stronger in Canada. Is it the climate?
Willy
Hmmm... not sure. Could be. Or maybe those consonants just match our "plosive" Québécois character? 
You have to admit, though, Willy, that our fricatives are really ssssssexy! 
