Music related to Linguistics & Lx-Anthro?

[Alexandre Enkerli]

Interesting question. And among the many things which would be fun to
build would be a catalogue of media elements related to the
discipline, including songs and video excerpts. There were discussions
about the last one so we could probably recuperate those and at least
build a page of some kind. For songs, it hasn't been covered as a
topic that explicitly, but the same idea could apply.

So, if there are song suggestions posted here, we could transform them
into a teaching resource for all linguistic anthropologists.

Off the top of my head, I can't really think of specific songs which
would work. Maybe you could look at the archives of The Word Nerds.
http://thewordnerds.org/
They used to have language-related music. Sometimes the links were
more subtle and they didn't necessarily cover much of the same ground
as we do in class, but it might still be a start.

When I teach ethnomusicology I usually have playlists for each class
meeting and it was easy to make links.
One thing which started happening, though, is that students had their
own suggestions for content to be added. As you might imagine, this
represented an excellent occasion for learning.
The first one was a YouTube video about a traditional Korean ensemble
playing the Pachelbel Canon with Hip Hop artists (DJs, MCs, and
breakdancers). It got everyone to discuss several issues and the fact
that it came from a student had its importance.
So, if there are topics for which you don't have songs, it might be a
good idea to ask students to find them. It's even more work than what
they currently do (since they have to look for the songs as well as
justify the linguistic angle), but it's likely that they'll have fun
doing it. And they may end up being quite creative justifying the
linguistic significance of some songs which, in itself, could create
an interesting classroom dynamic.

Otherwise, my advice might be to bring songs in other languages. It's
easier when you speak the language, as you can explain some subtle
things which aren't found in the typical translation. But there are
many albums available with English translations. And, again, students
who speak diverse languages can help with all of this. An advantage is
that it helps displaying language diversity and it may make obvious
the need for studying language in its cultural context.

Maybe you could send us your course or topic outline to make it easier
to associate topics with songs?

Cheers!

--
Alex Enkerli
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Concordia University


On Wed, Feb 3, 2010 at 04:41, Alexander King <a.king at abdn.ac.uk> wrote:
> Richard and List,
>
> Nice query. I think that Gorillaz's song "Clint Eastwood" (on self-titled album) is a bit Whorfian. "Rhythm, you got it or you don't, that's a fallacy, every sprouting tree [grows and develops in a context of learning]" You don't perceive with your eyes, you perceive with your mind, etc. It was in the charts a while back, so students may recognise it.
>
> looking forward to other song suggestions.
>
> Alex
>
> On 3 Feb 2010, at 1:50 am, Richard J Senghas wrote:
>
>> Hey LingAnthers,
>>
>> I am looking for music (popular, obscure, whatever) that plays with linguistic (& especially anthropological) topics.
>>
>> I am now teaching a somewhat large (~70 students) undergraduate, lower division Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology course.  It hits us at that just-before-and-going-into dinner hour, when students, even those interested in the topics, begin to fade as their blood sugar-levels drop, and the daylight begins to fade (especially now).  When I taught my Intro to Cultural Anthro course, I found that playing relevant, especially upbeat, music just before class started helped up the energy for the class session, and I would like to use this trick again in this course.  I also found that many of the students started to pick up on the anthropological themes I planted in these selections.  By the end of the semester, students started asking me for my sources, often asking me if they had indeed figured out the thematic connections.  (In a very real sense, this became a not-grade-related extra credit opportunity.)
>>
>> I plan to start with some more obvious choices (e.g., Laurie Anderson's "Language is a Virus" from her "Home of the Brave" album), but I'm looking for other pieces for later this semester.  Do you have any tracks you'd recommend?  If the topic is obscure, I wouldn't mind being given hints at the reason for your choices, though we could make it a game for this list if you choose to respond on-list.  And energetic music is preferred; we're looking to juice them up!
>>
>> Best regards,
>>
>> -RJS
>> ======================================================================
>> Richard J. Senghas, Professor            | Sonoma State University
>> Department of Anthropology               | 1801 East Cotati Avenue
>> Human Development Program                | Rohnert Park, CA 94928-3609
>> Richard.Senghas[at]sonoma.edu            | 707-664-3920 (fax)
>
> - tel:+44(1224)27 2732, fax:+44(1224)27 2552 - http://www.koryaks.net - http://www.abdn.ac.uk/anthropology
>