Here we have a guest post from Heather Johnson. Thanks, Heather!
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It’s a diverse world we live in– each country has its own indigenous languages; and each of these languages is spoken in numerous dialects and pronunciations, features that change according to the nature of the place and situation in which they are used. But there’s one language that’s spoken across the world and universally understood– the language of music. The basic notes of music remain the same in almost all cultures– the songs that are written are an infinite combination of these seven notes and a collage of instruments that contribute to making each song unique in its own right.
Learning a new language is a tough task, especially when you have to rely upon books and tutorials that do not teach you the right pronunciation and grammatical usage. The best way to pick up a new tongue is to live for a month or so in a place where that language is spoken by all the natives. You’re forced to learn the new lingo as fast as you can, or you end up being a social misfit. But since most of us do not have the luxury of hopping over to Germany for a while to learn to speak German, we can try our hands at the next best thing– familiarizing ourselves with music and songs written in German.
Unbelievable as it may sound, it’s true. How often have we been attracted to the sound of music and picked up the lyrics after listening to the song a couple of times? How easy it is to remember the words when they are set to a tune that we love! Picking up the meaning is just a matter of routine after that. The emotions that a song conveys make it simple to grasp the meaning of the lyrics, and in the process, pick up a smattering of the language. Once the base is established, the rest is easy enough.
The problem with picking up a new tongue is that it’s just like learning any other skill– the less you use it, the less time it stays with you. To gain complete mastery over a language, it’s important that you continue to speak it and improve your usage as time goes by. If you’re a beginner, even a month or two that goes by without talking in the new language is a setback to what you’ve learned. Again, music helps to overcome this barrier– it’s not hard to listen over and over to songs that have catchy tunes, and keeping in touch with the language becomes a breeze.
Learning a new language? Turn to music to help you– it holds the chords (pun intended) that tie both language and memory together!
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Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of graduate school grants. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.
