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Guest Post: Using Music To Learn A Language


Learning a new language is always exciting and can benefit you on many different levels: not only will it help you get a deeper insight into new cultures and traditions, but it can actually serve as a good addition to your CV. Nonetheless, learning a foreign language can be quite difficult at times, and it is a known fact that it is a lot easier for a child to do it than for an adult. If you want to learn a new language quickly and effortlessly, then one of the best ways to do that is by listening to music, and here you will find out why!

How Can Listening To Music Actually Help You Learn A New Language?


The mechanism of action is very simple, as there is a very strong neurological connection that goes on between music and language. It has happened to all of us at least once to just listen to a song on the radio and to find ourselves singing the lyrics or mumbling some words, trying to remember the name of the song. This is a great memory exercise that can actually slow down cognitive decline and keep your mind active and engaged in the long run, and many people find it easier to memorize lyrics than lessons, even those that do not necessarily rhyme.

In addition to this, music has been used for centuries for its therapeutic effect on the mind and the body, and melotherapy is still widely used today by millions of people. Simply put, certain songs can wake up the brain and stimulate it to remember words, they awaken the language capacity and they can even help those who have suffered extensive brain damage. The words are imprinted deep into the human mind and it can not only help you get the hang of a completely new foreign language, but it can also come in handy for those who have suffered from extensive brain injuries or impaired speech, as it helps them regain their speaking abilities.

Another important aspect why listening to music is particularly beneficial for those who want to learn a new language is that for a beginner, a new spoken foreign language may seem like a puzzle, one that music and rhythm slowly brings together. Just like some people tend to have a photographic memory and they tend to remember pictures and graphic representations better than others, some people react better to spoken or sung words, as opposed to learning the conjugation charts, the grammar rules or the vocabulary lists first. By listening to a song, people get to have the first-hand experience with the elements of fluency and the overall rhythm and flow of that particular language, which plays a pivotal role in the learning process.

That being said, although music can facilitate the language learning process, you will still need to study basic and advanced grammar rules if you are truly committed to becoming fluent in that specific language, let alone the fact that most lyrics today have intentional grammar mistakes or use slang to improve the flow of the song.


Brendon Gleaves lives in Canada and is 26 years old. Growing up in Canada, Brendon learned English, French, and Spanish in school and is now preparing to self-study even more languages. He writes about language learning on his website which you can find here: http://www.languagehelper.net.

Photo credit
wenmft Flickr via Compfight cc

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