Songs in African Tonal Languages: Contrasting the Tonal System and the Melody
Over the past fifty years there has been a dramatic increase in studies investigating the rules of tone-tune correspondence in vocal music performed in tonal languages. In this paper we argue that considering structural properties of tonal systems is important for studying the interaction between tone and melody. Using songs in Guinean Kpelle and Guro as test cases, we prove that contour tones are less preserved in melody than level tones, and surface tones are reflected in melody rather than underlying tones. We also show that syllable structure as well as style, genre and structure of songs affect tone-tune correspondence.
Singing in a Tone Language: Shona
To what extent does speech melody influence the composition of song melody in tone languages? This is a question that has been raised periodically in both linguistics and musicology over the past century but has never been satisfactorily answered. This paper is a preliminary examination of vocal music from Shona that provides further evidence towards the solution of this puzzle through acoustic analysis of sung and spoken melodies of three songs in Shona, a Bantu language spoken in Zimbabwe. This examination shows that, in the songs examined, there is a statistically significant correspondence between the spoken melody and the sung melody but that the locus of parallelism is not predictable.
English Code-Mixing and Code-Switching in Thai Songs
This study aims to investigate the attitudes of Thai people toward English code-mixing and code-switching in Thai songs and to find out if English code-mixing and code-switching in Thai songs could be an effective pedagogical instrument for learning the English language. The researcher selected a target population of 50 Thai participants (25 adolescent and 25 middle aged participants) and, by using a questionnaire, surveyed their attitudes towards the mixing and switching of English vocabulary in Thai songs. In addition to the questionnaire, two from the 50 participants were interviewed. One was an adolescent who has a very good knowledge of English and the other was a middle aged participant with almost no knowledge of English. The findings show that a majority of the middle aged participants disagree on the positive attitudes and reasons of people who listen to Thai songs which mix and switch the English language while a majority of the adolescent participants believe that some people who listen to Thai songs which mix and switch the English language are knowledgeable as well as show good taste and have a high social status. On the other hand, both the adolescent and middle aged group agree that some Thai songs which mix and switch the English language sound annoying and are inconsistent in conveying the meaning of the lyrics. Both groups also agree that Thai songs which mix and switch the English language may help listeners to enhance their knowledge of the English language. When interviewed individually, the participant who is very good in the English language tended to emphasize only the English competency of the listeners; while the participant who does not have any knowledge of the English language tended to emphasize the listeners‟ liking of the lyrics, the meaning and the melody of the songs. However, the use, as a pedagogical instrument, of Thai songs which mix and switch the English language could open up an additional choice for language learners in English vocabulary learning. Such songs would be acceptable as an effective pedagogical instrument for learning the English language if the English words in the songs also show correct English syntax.