透過通俗音樂增進對語言的認知

Getting it for a Song: Language Awareness through Popular Music

歌曲雖然長期被用於文法教學並產生正面效果，近來研究語言教學理論及方法的學者開始注意到可使用歌曲教導更複雜的語言技巧。最受矚目的是以通俗歌曲指導學生使用辭彙、有意識地運用語言，以及提升語感。多種創作良好的歌曲除了本身擁有絕佳的詞，尚可用來指導學生學習許多簡單有效的分析技巧，可供其概化運用於新學的（語言） 知識上頭，例如（語言）教科書的內容。此種以通俗歌曲教學的作法可鼓勵學生運用其漸增的語感，將歌詞、教科書，甚至任何書面文字視為辭彙豐富的語言應用來源，供其分析、內化並納入他們的使用辭彙。知名歌曲也有益於教學，因其通常比教科書本身更能有效導入教學主題。因此創作良好的通俗歌曲不僅可讓學生快速掌握語言核心，同時也證實是教科書課程主題內容的完美搭檔。

Although songs have long been used in the classroom to teach grammar and to create positive affect, recent scholarship in the theory and method of language instruction has drawn attention to their potential for inculcating more sophisticated language skills. Of particular interest is the use of popular songs for teaching lexis, discourse, and language awareness. Aside from their excellence as texts, well-crafted songs from a variety of musical genres can be used to teach learners a repertoire of simple and effective analytical skills which can be generalized and applied to new intake language, e.g., the material in their course book. Such an approach to popular songs encourages learners to use their increasing awareness of language to see the lyrics, their course books, and indeed, any text, as lexically rich sources of discourse that can be analyzed, internalized, and made part of their lexical repertoire. Well-known songs are also instructive in that they often provide a more incisive introduction to the thematic content of a coursebook lesson than the book itself. Well-crafted popular songs, then, not only provide learners with a springboard into the heart of a language but also prove to be the perfect counterpoint to the topical content of course book lessons.