Throughout history and across cultures, language and music prevail as defining characteristics of humanity. This unique status as species-specific traits has inevitably prompted a great deal of cross-domain comparisons, and much research has gone into identifying both similarities and differences between the two systems (Patel 2008: 3). Intonation, or “speech melody”, has been hailed as “the point at which language and music meet” (Bolinger 1972: 261). A frequently discussed yet under researched aspect of this affiliation is the expression and communication of emotion. Though the possibility of correspondence between vocal and musical emotion has concerned philosophers for centuries, due to the interdisciplinary nature of the topic it appears to have largely fallen through the cracks between linguistic, musicological and psychological research, and has only recently come to the fore of scientific investigation.
A prominent theory is that music’s capacity to convey emotion stems from its recalling of emotional speech patterns (Kivy 1989, in Davies 2001: 31). Comparative research to date has typically been founded on this assumption (Juslin and Laukka 2003:770), and has advanced with the hypothesis of a shared communication code for vocal and musical emotional expression. By outlining the current state of research in this field, this dissertation questions the degree of overlap between the two channels, and the extent to which emotional expression in speech and music can be said to correspond. The purpose of this literature review is to call attention to outstanding issues for further study, and to consider how linguistic research might benefit from a grater appreciation of this relationship.
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...ed. Paralinguistic cues may be of greater significance in those expressions that are based on physiological (‘push’) effects, and categorical effects may have more prominence in the communication of cognitively-based attitudes, or when sociocultural or linguistic conventions dictate the acoustic signal. This predicts that while the paralinguistic cues might universally (and even cross-specifically) signal biological emotional states, the linguistically organized cues may be more language-specific. Indeed, there is evidence that the linguistic use of intonation does vary considerably across languages (Ladd 1996: 113). Ultimately, in order to fully understand emotional intonation, it is necessary to consider both paralinguistic (continuous) and linguistic (categorical) acoustic cues, as well as how these features interact with one another (Scherer et al. 1984: 1355).
In itself, music has intrinsic value. From Ludwig Van Beethoven to Miles Davis, instrumental music can stand on its own legs, and have meaning that transcends grammatical meaning. However, the implementation of words that are either spoken or sung creates a new genre, and a different aesthetic. In a sense, this is literature juxtaposed over rhythm and melody. This has the effect of giving a more concrete meaning to the music, and more emotion to the words or lyrics. It is a matter of taste, and a subject of intense debate to try and say one style of music does this the best. Blues music, one of America’s greatest exports, is a contender for this title, and is also interesting in a linguistic sense.
Peter J. Rentfrow, Lewis R. Goldberg, and Daniel J. Levitin reveal in their article, The Structure of Musical Preferences: A Five-Factor Model that, "It (music) is composed of specific auditory properties, communicates emotions, and has strong social connotations. There is eviden...
..., D. (1993). Music and the Mind. MENC, Retrieved August 25, 2003 from MENC, Academic Achievement and Music database.
Language is the bearer of meaning and is a universal medium of communication (Evans, 1973; p. 42; Stenlund, 1990; p. 14). With in electroacoustic music, language is used as a 'tool for establishing an aesthetic' (Keane, 1986; p. 118). Pierre Schaeffer considers it as being 'presupposed' (Windsor, 1995; 1.1.1). Although, both talking about language they talk about different aspects of language in relation with electroacoustic music. Schaeffer talks about the creation of music, Keane talks about the process before making music. Schaeffer's theory of language may mask the communication between composer and liste...
Parncutt, Richard, and Gary E. McPherson. The Science and Psychology of Music Performance. New York: Oxford, 2002. Print.
Episodic memory is a conscious process: Music evokes memories and so also evokes the emotions associated with these memories. Although this discussion of the memory processes is compelling, it is incomplete because it excludes mentioning the circumstances where music is explicitly associated with narrative content that independently evokes emotional responses e.g. music accompanied by lyrics that tell a story which evokes the story’s emotion message. However, their main focus is on circumstances where music is associated with the narrative content of film (Juslin, P.N. and Vastfjall D., 2008, p.578).
“Music” as defined by the Oxford Dictionary, is “vocal or instrumental sounds combined in such a way as to produce the beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” Emotion, and the treatment of emotion, is indubitably an important aspect of music from all eras, but the manner in which emotion is expressed, has changed over time. Throughout the Baroque period (c. 1600 – 1750) musicians attempted to cause a specific extreme emotion in the listener, while during the Classical period (c. 1750-1825) composers sought to produce a balance of emotions. Due to philosophical and artistic movements that occurred, emotion, a critical element of music, was conveyed differently between the Baroque and Classical periods.
Music is not a new happening in the world, but has a rather deep history. Lovers of music, including composers, singers, and listeners always have various reasons as to why they are attracted to music. However, the music industry has always attracted critics with some claiming that music classes are a waste of time and that the major aim of music is to enhance life enjoyment. In this essay, I will argue that in real sense, music can be much more than just sweet melodies and dances can be more than just good moves; music and dances play vital roles in the social, cultural, and political lives of people or communities.
Forney, Kristine, and Joseph Machlis. The Enjoyment of Music. 11th ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 2011. Print.
"Music is a common experience and a large part of societies. In fact, anthropologists note that all human communities at all times and in all places, have engaged in musical behaviours. Music as a mode of human activity is a cultural phenomenon constituting a fundamental social entity as humans create music and create their relationship to music. As cultural phenomeno...
In conclusion towards the arguments and observations, musical expression consists in presenting emotion characteristics in appearance. It turns out people listen to music as having a purposeful nature and that it has an effect on psychological emotions. If there is a case in which music showing emotional qualities with no reference to feelings, there is a case of happy music that is not powerful of happiness.
“The parallels between musical and linguistic boundaries are obvious” as stated in author Peter M...
We have different emotions that we have experience daily. Some people used to listen to music in order to contract emotions. The precise structure through which music evokes emotions is a rich field of research, with a great amount of not explained questions. Why does music talk to our emotional brain? Why do we perceive emotional information in musical features? Why do we feel the urge to move when hearing music? Through increasing scientific understanding of the universal as well as the individual principles behind music-evoked emotions, we will be able to better understand the effects that music-listening can have and make better use of them in an informed
“Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb; Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow.” For centuries “Mary had a little lamb” has become one of the most universally recognized nursery rhythms since being published in 1830. Centuries later it is still one of the most popular songs of the world. Merriam Dictionary defines music as “the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity.” With that in mind, music is found everywhere. Whether it’s in the Great Wall of China to the jungles in Africa, music is found everywhere. The main purpose of this paper is to show that music is in fact a universal language by comparing music with other official languages, showing how music influences emotions and how music literacy and emotions helps people understand music as a language. In order to fully execute my purpose of proving that music is a universal language, I will be focusing on using personal experiences, researching articles and specific musical examples from class.
Millar, Aaron. "Music & Emotion: Why Do Sad Songs Make Us Cry?" Odyssey 22.7 (2013): 14. Middle Search Plus. Web. 1 Oct. 2015.