Why you need to sing the songs on Cloudlingo you learning and watch the literal videos

Learning a new language can be both challenging and exciting. There are many approaches to learning a language, including taking classes, practicing with native speakers, watching movies or TV shows, reading books, and listening to music. However, one method that has many benefits that is often overlooked is singing songs in the target language.

Singing songs in the language you're learning can help to cement your knowledge and improve your language skills in many ways.

I will explore the benefits of singing songs in the language you're learning and how it can enhance your language learning experience and then look at turbo-charging it with watching Cloudlingo Lingo Script literal videos.

Look at the song page for Lucero's ¿Por Qué Te Vas? on there you will find the typing test (to cement the words' spelling into your memory), and also a pronounciation test using voice recognition.

Why sing aloud?

It is well known that speaking while reading, even your own language and things you've written - make it clearer in your own head. Jordan Peterson recommends this in point 6 of his 10-step writing process that he teachers his students, and you know it yourself; often when faced with something you need "to get into your head", you'll find yourself not only reading it, but reading it aloud with some determination.

1) Singing songs can improve your pronunciation. When you sing a song in the target language, you are forced to pay attention to the sounds and intonation of each word. This can help you to develop a better ear for the language, and over time, you will be able to replicate the sounds more accurately as your mouth's muscle memory will remember the way to make the sounds. This will not only help you to sound more like a native speaker, which will make it easier for native speakers and others, to understand you.

2) Singing songs can help you to remember vocabulary and grammar. When you sing a song, you are essentially memorizing the lyrics, and in doing so, you are also memorising new vocabulary and grammar rules, in both a conscious and sub-conscious manner. You will be startled when your brain just "spills out" the correct phrase at some point in the future, maybe when you having an conversation with a native speaker.

Because songs are often repetitive and catchy, the lyrics will become embedded in your memory more quickly than if you were just reading or listening to them. You will find that you are able to recall new words and phrases more easily when you sing them in a song.

3) Singing songs can improve your confidence in speaking the language, for example in this article it discusses how singing can make you more confident to speak (in English, but applies to any language). Many people feel self-conscious when speaking a new language, especially in front of native speakers. Singing songs can help to alleviate some of this anxiety, as it allows you to practice the language in a more relaxed and fun environment. As you become more comfortable singing in the language, you will also become more confident in speaking it.

If you don't have a great singing voice (like me!) you can always just practice in the car or the shower when you are alone. The benefits will still be there, and you don't want anyone to suffer, do you?

4) Singing songs can expose you to different styles of music and culture. Listening to music in the target language is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and gain a better understanding of the people who speak the language and more likely to encounter "real language" as in slang or street-talk and regional-only expressions. This will make your speaking "more real" and "less bookish".

As you sing songs in the language, you will also be exposed to different styles of music that you may not have heard before. This can be a fun and enriching experience, and it can help you to appreciate the language and culture on a deeper level.

5) Singing songs can make language learning more enjoyable. Learning a new language can be a challenging and sometimes frustrating process, but singing songs in the target language can make it more enjoyable.

Singing is a fun and creative activity, and it can help to break up the monotony of traditional language learning methods. When you sing songs in the language you're learning, you will not only be improving your language skills, but you will also be having fun.

Why watch the literal videos?

All songs available on Cloudlingo.com come with a Lingo Script Video that uses Icons to depict the meaning of the words in the lyrics.

Lingo Script Videos were a tool that I devised after spending some months learning Spanish. I would watch a music video on YouTube, and spend time translating the lyrics and looking up the meaning, either online or by asking native speaker friends. Many words I would learn and be able to recall from memory. But there were also lots of words in the lyrics that, on a subsequent viewing of the video, I wouldn't be able to remember what it was.

I'd often watch 'lyrics versions' of music videos too - these have the lyrics displayed on the screen, replacing the original artists' music video. These are useful, but what I'd find is that it would take a lot of mental-energy to read and process the songs lyrics and/or translation, this is because reading is actually quite inefficient - if it was original language lyrics, then often I'd find I'd forgotton the word anyway - even when seeing it written down.

After searching out song videos where the Artist 'acts' the song story out, and finding very few that actually do this, and almost none that do it 'in real time' i.e. act the song story as they sing the words: So I came up with concept of the literal 'Lingo Script' videos you see on the site today. Note these are not caligrams or rebuses, but a basic attempt to represent the most important words in the lyric line into a few icon images.

Lingo Script with Original Language Subtitles

Lingo Script with Translated Language Subtitles

Watching Lingo Script videos together with either the target language or the English translation as subtitles can be a helpful tool in learning a new language. Here are some reasons why:

Visual aids: These videos provide a visual representation of the language being spoken or sung. This can help learners to better understand the meaning of the words being used, as they can see the context in which the words are being used. According to research you are much more likely to remember things if they have been visualised (and with music, you also have it represented in sounds).

Audio aids: Hearing the words being spoken or sung can also aid in language acquisition. By listening to the lyrics, learners can begin to develop an ear for the language and start to recognize the sound of the words.

Repetition: Songs often contain repetitive lyrics, which can help learners to memorize words and phrases more easily. The repetition of words and phrases can also help learners to internalise grammar rules and syntax.

Cultural immersion: Song videos can also provide insight into the culture of the language being learned. Learners can see the mannerisms, dress, and settings of the music video, which can provide a better understanding of the cultural context in which the language is used.

Contextual clues: Subtitles can help learners to understand the context of the song lyrics. Seeing the lyrics and their translations side-by-side can help learners to make connections between the language and its meaning.

Engagement: Watching a song video can be a fun and engaging way to learn a new language. Learners may find themselves more motivated to study the language if they enjoy the music and find the lyrics interesting.

Overall, watching song videos with subtitles can be a useful tool in language learning. It can help learners to improve their listening and reading comprehension, as well as their understanding of the cultural context in which the language is used.

In conclusion

So we can say that singing songs and watching the literal videos available on Cloudlingo.com in the language you're learning can have many benefits. It can improve your pronunciation, help you to remember vocabulary and grammar, boost your confidence in speaking the language, expose you to different styles of music and culture, and make language learning more enjoyable. If you're looking for a fun and effective way to improve your language skills, give singing a try!

Karl
Owner and Programmer of Cloudlingo.com