Music and Language : The Case for Music in Linguistic Curricula and Research. Diss.

David Houston

ISBN 10: 3836471329 / ISBN 13: 9783836471329

Published by VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Mär 2008, 2008

About this Item

Neuware - This dissertation proposes an interdisciplinary integration of empirically grounded musicological evidence into linguistic curricula. Phonological, syntactic, and neurological convergences between music and language are identified. However, differences in semantic content and the deliberateness ascribed to a musical or linguistic event inhibit the extent to which a music-language comparison can advance without qualification. Two experiments were conducted, the first presenting a unique music-linguistic phenomenon, suggesting that the major and minor modes in music are non-arbitrarily associated with certain linguistic stimuli ('kiki' and 'bouba', respectively) in accord with their phonetic characteristics (e.g. vowel and consonant quality). This topic is considered in the light of evidence from synaesthesia and sound symbolism. The second experiment explores the level of accord between the linguistic and musical academic communities on subjects relevant to an interdisciplinary discussion. A questionnaire form was administered, with results indicating that an insufficient amount of agreement exists between the two fields to facilitate a productive exchange and evaluation of ideas.

Seller Inventory # 9783836471329

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Music and Language : The Case for Music in Linguistic Curricula and Research. Diss.
• Publisher: VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Mär 2008
• Publication Date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 3836471329
• ISBN 13: 9783836471329
• Binding: Taschenbuch
• Condition: Neu

About this title

Synopsis

This book proposes an interdisciplinary integration of empirically grounded musicological evidence into linguistic curricula. Phonological, syntactic, and neurological convergences between music and language are identified. However, differences in semantic content and the deliberateness ascribed to a musical or linguistic event inhibit the extent to which a music-language comparison can advance without qualification. Two experiments were conducted, the first presenting a unique music-linguistic phenomenon, suggesting that the major and minor modes in music are non-arbitrarily associated with certain linguistic stimuli ('kiki' and 'bouba', respectively) in accord with their phonetic characteristics (e.g. vowel and consonant quality). This topic is considered in the light of evidence from synaesthesia and sound symbolism. The second experiment explores the level of accord between the linguistic and musical academic communities on subjects relevant to an interdisciplinary discussion. A questionnaire form was administered, with results indicating that an insufficient amount of agreement exists between the two fields to facilitate a productive exchange and evaluation of ideas.

About the Author

It was my degree in music (BMus Guitar Performance and Composition) at Loyola University New Orleans that led to my interest in foreign language acquisition and research at the University of Edinburgh (MSc Developmental Linguistics) on the topic of music-language correlations. I am currently serving as a Lieutenant in the United States Army.