On one level, "music as language" is one of those subjects perfect for
trivial academic discussion and obfuscation, since it is easy to define
language in such a way that music is an example. But I'm sure there is also
plenty of solid and easy-to-find research in neuroscience on what cognitive
and language-specific brain centers and neural pathways are activated when
listening to or performing music. This would provide the clearest empirical
clarification of what ways music is similar to language, logicical
reasoning, etc.
Equally interesting and certainly more accessible to amateurs, however, is
the study of how a particular musical vocabulary derives from the natural
spoken language patterns of the parent culture. European rhythmic "quanta,"
the duple rhythm, the triplet, the dotted rhythm, and the reverse dotted
rhythm, are also the essiential rhythmic units of European spoken languages.
The evenly-plodding phrases in European music mimic the strophic patterns of
European verse, since everything starts from song. I am no expert on spoken
Japanese, but it is immediately clear that the unstressed and uneven
phrasing of Japanese music is derived from natural Japanese language. One
could extend this, I'm sure, to the study of the overall form of entire
compositions, to pitch, etc. etc.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Reid ." <reid1898@hotmail.com>
To: <Shakuhachi@communication.ucsd.edu>
Sent: Sunday, September 08, 2002 2:43 PM
Subject: Music as Language
> I would be interested in getting thoughts from this group regarding music
as
> language.
>
> I have always heard that music is an international language, but I always
> interpreted that on a superficial level (e.g., western notation is studied
> and understood in most of the world). However, I was recently reading
some
> books regarding linguistics, the deaf and aphasia, and I now better
> understand that language is not just for communicating with others, but is
> also the tool for thinking. I am therefore returning to the "koan" about
> music being a language. For example, what constitutes a language? Is it
> meaningful to consider music a language? Does it relate to language in
the
> more typical meaning of the term?
>
> I just wanted to know if others have had any thoughts or insights in this
> regard, especially since the music this group works with is outside the
> western patterns of music. This, of course, is a large part of the appeal
> of shakuhachi music to me. Also, the fact that the shakuhachi tradition
> recognizes the core value is not necessarily performing for others (so it
is
> more like thought than communication, in a language connotation).
>
> Thanks.
>
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