Music and language are closely connected, and it is also assumed that both have some common origin. It is also believed that music was used to communicate in ancient times, and people used it to make themselves easily understood.
Listening to music is one of the best ways to learn a language and retain the words and sentences.
How do we know that music and language learning are connected?
As we grow up or make kids learn a language, even if it’s their first language, we start by reciting poems. The other way is to make them learn the alphabet or words by singing them in a pattern we create. At times, we pick a tune of the child’s favourite rhymes and replace it with the words that we want them to learn.
This practice makes it easy for children to learn and memorize words quickly and retain for a long period. This process links to the child’s ability to understand and retain phonetic sounds and rhythms.
How is it helpful to learn a language through music?
Music can be helpful in learning a language in the following ways:
Improves pronunciation
Songs are mostly sung by native speakers and even if they’re not, singers try to pronounce words properly. This makes you understand intonation and enables you to pronounce words correctly. The most important thing is to look for native speakers or popular singers so that you get the correct pronunciation.
Also, non-natives might make mistakes in the sentence structure or other elements of the language. Therefore, it’s important to choose your playlist wisely.
Establishes affiliation and retention
When you learn something in a playful way, you never get stressed out. This is the reason why music does not only make you learn a language but also creates a playful affiliation with it. It happens because you may love the lyrics, tune, or voice of the singer and listen to a song repeatedly. It can spontaneously enhance your vocabulary and understanding of the language.
Moreover, repeating the same song and recalling it again and again can make your brain retain it for a long time.
Cross-cultural understanding
Every language has a different way of expressing ideas and communicating certain emotions. Songs can give you a better understanding of how different cultures use linguistic tools to express their ideas.
Ways to create and learn a melodic vocabulary
The following ways to learn a language through music can prove to be very helpful.
Choose the right song
As we have already discussed, your choice of songs should be wise. While choosing songs keep in mind:
- The singer is a native speaker
- Song is popular
- It doesn’t have long words and florid language
- It’s popular among kids (if you’re starting off)
Make a playlist
Now you can make a playlist of all the carefully chosen songs. This part is important because we get tired of listening to one type of music or a single song repeatedly. A variety of songs will not make you bored.
Pick words from the lyrics
Now you can have a collection of words to add to your vocabulary. You can make a list by writing translated words alongside the learned words to remember them effectively. Now use these words or sentences in your routine conversation and don’t forget to pronounce them properly.
Watch them
Watching videos of songs with subtitles can be the best way to understand and retain them quickly. It is also helpful because you get the chance to listen to words with facial expressions or proper context. Mostly, videos are created according to the lyrics of the songs. For this reason, you can take it as the best option for retaining the words from your visual experience.
Sing along
Most music lovers have songs stuck in their minds and they keep on replaying again and again. This part of the human brain’s functioning acts as an ideal opportunity for such people to learn a language. But if you sing along, it will not only retain but also improve your speaking skills.
This is helpful, especially for those people who are too shy to use a foreign language in routine conversation. They can sing while the song is being played and also whenever they recall it.
The bottom line
Learning a language and creating melodic vocabulary is possible if you are determined to learn a language. It can be a quicker and easier process if you’re a music lover. If that’s not the case, still you can try it out as a tool and start off by learning a language of your choice with Eton Institute. Another plus point of this process is that you will get familiar with the cultural aspects of that language as well.
So hurry up and get into a playful and melodious learning process that won’t make you bored!