The effects of language on English language learners’ music preferences

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of songs in different languages on English language learners’ (ELLs) music preferences. The participants ( N=62) were Chinese graduate students from a state university in the Midwestern United States. The survey contained nine excerpts from popular songs in three languages: Chinese (the most familiar language), English (second most familiar language), and German (unfamiliar language). The song examples had fast tempos and were sung by male singers. The participants rated their preferences on a Likert-type scale, identified whether they wanted to own the music or not, and indicated which of the musical characteristics — melody, rhythm, voices, lyrics, and others — they liked the most. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was used to analyze for music preferences. Results indicate that: (1) participants preferred the songs in English significantly more than those in German; (2) no significant preference was found between songs in English and Chinese, and songs in Chinese and German; (3) language did not affect the participants’ desire to own the music, and they reported a low desire to own the music in any of the languages. The results suggest that when comparing the songs in English and German, participants preferred the more familiar language. However, the fast tempo popular songs chosen for this study may not represent the most popular style of contemporary Chinese popular music.