subject: How to Learn French Songs as a Part of Study [print this page] Learning French songs can help you learn French fast. This language is complex and the pronunciations of common words can be very difficult for English speakers. Songs provide a way for you to learn the subtleties of pronunciation with melody as a guide. The words are also divided up within the song in a way that makes them easy to sing. Of course, this also illustrates where the word is divided in speech, allowing you to tackle very tough words by learning them one part at a time.
Songs in the French classroom can be enormously useful for students. They make learning the language fun, which also helps them to retain what they've learned over the course of their studies. Hearing songs sung in a foreign language has the effect of making the language itself sound more familiar. In the context of a melody, the words can be remembered quite naturally and, in the future, singing the song can sometimes provide a way for the student to refresh their memory about that day's lesson.
Songs in the French classroom can be very simple and address everyday needs. In the context of musical stories, songs are sometimes used to help listeners remember a series of terms and concepts that are related in some way. Songs about washing up before bed, for instance, can teach students the correct way to express ideas such as brushing one's teeth, needing a shower, and so forth. While they may seem to be small things, these concepts and ideas constitute a great deal of day to day expression. Learning how to talk about washing up before bed, for instance, also teaches students the verb for washing anything else, which is obviously a useful verb to know if you're in Paris looking for a laundromat or for a place to wash your car.
Even though learning French songs is fun, it does have practical value, as illustrated above. The old "Frere Jacques" song that elementary students learn does teach you how to ask someone if they're sleeping in French and, with a little bit more study, how to use the different forms of the verb "sleep". Asking students to construct sentences based on words they learned in songs can be a valuable way to connect different types of learning and to reinforce the information required for each.
How to Learn French Songs as a Part of Study
By: Dr. Dennis Dunham
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