Does a musical background help with language learning, especially pronunciation? I think I may be able to imitate accents more easily than most people.
Musical training and languages
Yes, that's my experience anyway. Not only concerning myself, but other people too like classmates and friends. I've always found it very easy to imitate and pronounce words and intonations of other languages, and accents for that matter. Learning grammar and expanding my vocabulary is a whole other thing, though. I think some people get too hung up on the pronounciation of words in a technical sense, to me they're more of, well, sounds. You just imitate sounds and melodies. Being musical sure helps!
IMO, yes. Some of the best "language people" I know are classically trained musicians; however, some of them don't seem gifted in languages at all. A serious musician often doesn't have the time for extensive language study (except perhaps an opera singer) or hobbies.
Correlation and causation are not equal! Because a person who learn music is more motivated and patient and more adept for learning languages also, it's purely obvious! A bum who doesnt care for music is obviously a bum and wont care for other educated persuit like language learning also.
I think it's the "gift" of being tuned into to sounds in general. On the other hand, most of us learn to speak one language, so why not another?
It's not like math. We don't pick up math from our caregivers. Language is a natural thing to me. Music is a lovely thing. I like many kinds of music and many languages. I think there is some connection.
I met a girl in HK or China who majored in Chinese, but she had terrible tones. I still kind of wonder about that. I think she said that she was not musical as well. I also know of someone who is quite musical and good at Mandarin as an Adult learner! Are Chinese or others with tonal languages more musical in general? That would be my question.
It's not like math. We don't pick up math from our caregivers. Language is a natural thing to me. Music is a lovely thing. I like many kinds of music and many languages. I think there is some connection.
I met a girl in HK or China who majored in Chinese, but she had terrible tones. I still kind of wonder about that. I think she said that she was not musical as well. I also know of someone who is quite musical and good at Mandarin as an Adult learner! Are Chinese or others with tonal languages more musical in general? That would be my question.
Estás equivocado. La música no tiene nada que ver con el aprendizaje de idiomas, es la pura verdad. Como ya he dicho, una persona que aprende idomas tiene muchas de las mismas características que una persona que toca un instrumento.
Since I actually understood every word of Franco's post, and I'm in just the right mood, I decided I'll translate it:
"You're wrong. Music has nothing to do with language learning, it's the simple truth. As I've already said, a person who learns languages has many of the same characteristics as a person who plays an instrument."
"You're wrong. Music has nothing to do with language learning, it's the simple truth. As I've already said, a person who learns languages has many of the same characteristics as a person who plays an instrument."
And likewise, it should come as no surprise, as I choose to speak shitty languages like Spanish and Russian, I also choose to play shitty instruments, like the skin flute and the rusty trombone.