Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[jenksc]

hello everyone..I am currently trying to polish my English Language as it is becoming very useful in my studies..and one of the way that works tremendously well is by listening to English songs...What do you ppl think?what kind of English songs do u ppl fancy if this way works with u?...do share wif me as i m really wanting to learn...
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hello there,feel free to voice your ideas and thoughts...

[tiktik]

hi there...i totally agree wif u..i find this method works really well..
my teacher introduced to us this fun way of learning english a few years ago n i hav been benefiting from it ever since. dun you think its such a practical way to learn english?u can hav fun while learning english..i like listening to music so its not really difficult..i can learn new words in the lyrics n at the same time unwind myself after a long day at school..any english songs u wud like to recomend to me,jenksc?
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hi everyone,i m adrian.nice to meet u

[advoca]

Oh, dear me.

I hope you do not expect to learn good English from listening to pop songs. Many of them use the most appalling grammar and the very worst of English.

Just be very choosy and very careful, for there is no advantage in learning English from those who do not use it correctly.

You can have fun by finding the lyrics (this is easy on the web) and trying to notice the grammatical mistakes in the them. It is a good excercise to do this.

[buikerbok]

Hello~ I also want to improve my English. I think that listening music is one of good ways for me. I like English songs, such as Hip-Hop and pop. I can learn words and pronounciation from these songs except grammar. You just like the songs, and the songs can motivate you to listen.

[chua]

hi!there, i do agree with all of your opinion. As for me i think by listening to some music is also one of the best way to improve your english. By listening to song it will indirectly enhance our learning of vocabulary. This is because when you listen to a particular song which interest you. I am sure you will try to find the lyric or some of the people like to listen to the song then he or she will jot down the lyric by listening to the songh. This help to improve your listening skill. Listening music is one of the best way for those who do not like to read on book which consists of so many word in a small font and thick to be hold. By listening to music, they can also learn new words. As for some of the students, they on the radio or music meanwhile they are reading or doing homework this help them to be able concentrate on their study. For me personally, i like to listen to romantic songs or relaxing music which will help me better,as i think rock songs sometime is too rock and make a lots of noise so i can't concentrate on my study. Instead, it make me headache and it cannot provide me with ideas. However, it depends on the particular students to select the song or music which suit hi or her taste that they think could help them.wat do you all think there?

[sam096]

Hi everyone, I find that to really learn from a foreign-language song I have to do something active - if I just listen I rarely catch all the words. A good exercise (more difficult than you might think) is to try to write out all the words to a song from listening to it. Then you can search for the lyrics on the internet to check for mistakes.

That doesn't solve the problem of incorrect grammar in songs but, as has already been said, it can very helpful to think about 'what they said' and 'what they should have said'!
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http://parlonsfrancais.blogspot.com/

[shahrilfaidzal]

I have some ideas about this issues. I sheerly agree with the researcher of the article on using a lesson plan to teach using songs. Especially contemporary songs since secondary school students do have a liking for such songs. In order to gain their attention in class, as teachers, we have to do whatever decent way it takes. But, I think this is quite impossible
in the Malaysian schools' context due to time constraints and a few
other reasons.I'm not simply saying this. I'm saying this based upon
experience.

I think this technique can be used for enjoyment or
entertainment purposes. For example, after each lesson of Grammar
(Boring) a song from the Hitz FM Top Ten List(or whatever top ten
listlah) can be played just to boost them up.
What do you think?

[jayashany]

Using music to learn English is probably one of the most powerful �anglicizing� forces in the world today: American, Canadian, British, even Australian popular music.
If you�ve noticed that music has helped you improve your English, you�re not alone. And you�re not just imagining it, either. Researchers have discovered numerous connections:

Some of the more interesting findings include:

Neurologists have found that musical and language processing occur in the same area of the brain, and there appear to be parallels in how musical and linguistic syntax are processed (Maess & Koelsch, 2001).

� and �

Adult learners in South Africa, exposed to instrumental music during an intensive English course, showed benefits in language learning (Puhl, 1989).

Why is music so helpful? Well, it�s usually written at about a 5th grade level, so it�s easy to understand. The words are usually short, and easy to understand. Plus, there�s plenty of repetition. And finally, the words are accompanied by rhythm and a melody that makes them much more memorable.

So if you�re not already using music, find some!

Start with slower, easier pieces, and gradually, once you�ve found styles of music that you like, move to faster and more difficult songs. It�s a very fun and easy way to improve your English, and you can do it while you�re working, travelling, or doing chores.

[RedRose]

But one of my friends told me:"it would be useless to try to improve English by English music. if you listen to too many English songs, you will learn more broken grammar."

[Harmony]

Useless????? No way!

Why do some people always look for a reason to say something is bad?

How many things are all good or all bad? Jayashany showed us that there are many good reasons to use music for improving your English. The music helps you to remember the words. The meaning of the words becomes clearer every time you listen to the same song.

Don't be afraid that you will learn bad grammar from English songs! Yes, it is true that some songs use bad grammar. It is also true that you can find bad grammar everywhere, not just in songs!

It is silly to say music is bad because it sometimes has bad grammar. There is much bad grammar right here on this website. Is this a reason to stop coming here? I don't think so!

To improve your English try to make English a part of your life every day. Listening to songs in English is a fun way to do this!

Listening to English in singing and speaking will help you to learn what is good grammar and what is bad grammar. Reading English is very important, but listening is the best for learning to speak English.

Your ears are better than your eyes for knowing what is bad grammar and what is good grammar. As you learn more and more English you will begin to notice when something doesn't sound correct. You will think, "Hmmmm! Something is not right." You will be using your *ear* for language.

Your *ear* will become wiser as you become more comfortable with English. You will start to have a *feeling* about what is good grammar and what is bad grammar. You will learn to trust this feeling. It will be easier than trying to remember rules while you are speaking.

Study the rules, but ALSO try to listen to English speaking or songs every day.

Don't think you must look for *perfect* grammar before you try to learn! This is impossible and you will have a very hard time. The most important thing is to put English into your life in many ways.

I saw a great idea on the English Forums website:

http://www.englishforums.com/English/FluentEnglishSpeaker/vkmc/Post.htm

They told students to rent English DVDs to watch English movies with English subtitles (words at the bottom of your TV screen). English DVDs usually have English subtitles even though the film is in English. This helps people who have trouble hearing. It is also useful for times when the noise of the TV would disturb someone.

Watching English movies with English words at the bottom of the TV screen is an excellent suggestion. You will be learning with your eyes and your ears at the same time. You will hear the English words while you read the English words at the bottom of your TV screen. This is the best way to learn. It is ten times better than using your ears or your eyes alone!

If you are very eager to learn you can write down new words to look up in your dictionary at the end of the movie.

One of the members at English Forums said

[lotus]

Good points Harmony,

Although grammar in English songs may be incorrect, they can help you in pronouncing words, using words in context, and generally exploring the meaning of words.

When I sing karaoke (don't everyone laugh at once now), I look at the lyrics (even though I can't really read them) and sing along pronouncing the words. If I love the song, I will sing the song over and over again and eventually I will catch the meaning of the word or words. After a while, I'll start recognizing that word or character in other songs. It's a fun and innocuous way to learn words!

If you're learning English, I would say that not all songs are grammatically correct. But, isnt' that the whole idea? The fact that you notice that the grammar is incorrect is Learning!

Lyrics are poetry, a higher form of English. If you're studying Math, wouldn't you be a little interested in exploring Physics? Lyrics are the end product of English (like physics is to math), and is at its highest form of expression. Like looking at a physics book full of stuff you can't understand, lyrics can be daunting. But, if you catch the snippets you do understand, it's very satisfying and motivates you to learn more.

Pick your songs. Pick the ones that please you, puzzles you, or moves you. Then enjoy them! After all, you learn English for self enrichment. It is not simply a language of utility, it is a language of art and expression.

Here is one of my favorite songs.

Imagine
John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one


--lotus

[lotus]

Cyberspace is ever evolving.

Listen...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jEOkxRLzBf0&search=imagine

Sing...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHnT908mp3U&search=five%20for%20fighting

And feel...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM6NCc1OkUA&search=kitaro


--lotus