Using songs for formation of lexical skills in English lessonsat university

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Using songs for formation of lexical skills in English lessonsat university

Maryna Ryzhenko,

Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (Kharkiv, Ukraine)

Olena ANISENKO,

Senior Teacher at the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (Kharkiv, Ukraine)

Lyudmyla SEMENOVA,

Senior Teacher at the Department of Foreign Philology and Translation O.M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy in Kharkiv (Kharkiv, Ukraine)

This article is devoted to the formation and improvement of lexical skills through the use of song material in English lessons. In this work, the song text is considered as a fragment of culture, therefore, attention is paid to the relevance of using songs, the advantages of using them, and the criteria for selecting songs in English. The theoretical substantiation of the method used is based on the works of domestic and foreign linguists and teachers.

It's no secret that knowledge of a foreign language in our time is a great advantage for everyone. Learning foreign languages broadens a person's horizons, makes him more erudite and purposeful, because to learn any language requires considerable motivation and perseverance. Moreover, when applying for a job, employers often give preference to candidates who can speak not only their native language, because most companies are somehow connected with foreign companies.

When teaching a foreign language, one of the most important components is the development of the lexical and semantic aspects of the language, based on the correct understanding and use of entire classes of words. The word is the main tool in working with the language and its most important nominative particle. However, for the correct mastery of a lexical skill, it is not enough just to correctly use lexical units, a person must also be able to recognize them both in written and oral speech, know the meanings of these words in their native language and their collocations.

Organizing learning process, teachers quite often face the problem of selecting methods and beat training. That is why the more diverse and deeper will be the knowledge and ability to use innovate approaches in the learning process foreign language, the more efficient the process will be development of a personality capable of communicating within intercultural dialogue Songs as well as educational material in teaching a foreign language yut teaching, educational and developmental functions. It is very important to use songs in the lessons English for many reasons.

Key words: lexical skills, foreign language, motivation, cognitive process, perception, communicative approach.

Марина РИЖЕНКО,

кандидатпедагогічних наук, доцент кафедри іноземної філології та перекладу Харківського національного університету міського господарства імені О.М. Бекетова (Харків, Україна)

Олена АНІСЕНКО,

старший викладач кафедри іноземної філології та перекладу Харківського національного університету міського господарства імені О.М. Бекетова (Харків, Україна)

Людмила СЕМЕНОВА,

старший викладач кафедри іноземної філології та перекладу Харківського національного університету міського господарства імені О.М. Бекетова (Харків, Україна)

ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ПІСЕН ДЛЯ ФОРМУВАННЯ ЛЕКСИЧНИХ НАВИЧОК НА ЗАНЯТТЯХ З АНГЛІЙСЬКОЇ МОВИ У ВНЗ

Ця стаття присвячена формуванню та вдосконаленню лексичних навичок за допомогою використання пісенного матеріалу на уроках англійської мови. У цій роботі текст пісні розглядається як фрагмент культури, тому приділяється увага актуальності використання пісень, переваг їх використання, критеріям відбору пісень англійською мовою. Теоретичне обґрунтування використовуваного методу засноване на роботах вітчизняних та зарубіжних лінгвістів та педагогів.

Ні для кого не є секретом, що знання іноземної мови в наш час є великою перевагою для кожного. Вивчення іноземних мов розширює кругозір людини, робить її більш ерудованою і цілеспрямованою, адже для вивчення будь-якої мови потрібна чимала мотивація та завзятість. Більше того, при прийомі на роботу роботодавці часто віддають перевагу кандидатам, які володіють не лише рідною мовою, адже більшість компаній так чи інакше пов'язані з іноземними компаніями.

При навчанні іноземної мови одним із найважливіших компонентів є розвиток лексико-семантичної сторони мови, заснований на правильному розумінні та вживанні цілих класів слів. Слово є основним інструментом у роботі з мовою та її найважливішою номінативною часткою. Однак для правильного оволодіння лексичним навичкою недостатньо просто правильно вживати лексичні одиниці, людина повинна ще вміти розпізнавати їх як у письмовій, так і в усній мові, знати значення цих слів рідною мовою та їх словосполучення. lexical skill english lessonsat

Організовуючи навчальний процес, педагоги нерідко стикаються з проблемою вибору методів та методів навчання. Тому чим різноманітнішими та глибшими будуть знання та вміння використовувати інноваційні підходи у процесі навчання іноземної мови, тим ефективнішим буде процес розвитку особистості, здатної до спілкування в рамках міжкультурного діалогу Пісні, а також навчальний матеріал у навчанні іноземної мови виконує навчальну, виховну та розвиваючу функції. Дуже важливо використовувати пісні на уроках англійської з багатьох причин.

Ключові слова: лексичні навички, іноземна мова, мотивація, когнітивний процес, сприйняття, комунікативний підхід.

Problem statement

Today, non-standard methods of teaching a foreign language are becoming more and more popular, pushing the traditional work with textbooks and dictionaries to the last rows. In the conditions of modern technologies and the Internet, communication between people all over the planet has become easier, which has led to numerous intercultural relations. Direct acquaintance with the culture and traditions of other countries has become an integral part of teaching a foreign language.

The most common and accessible to all element of culture is musical creativity. Due to the presence of a verbal text, the song genre, as one of the main genres of musical creativity, is able to most accurately and colorfully reflect various aspects of the everyday and cultural life of the people, influence the emotions and feelings of the student, affect his figurative and artistic memory, and also contribute to aesthetic education. Moreover, the use of song material in foreign language lessons introduces an element of originality and festivity into the learning process, which has a beneficial effect on the emotional sphere of students.

Review or recent research and publications. The possibilities of using songs as a means of teaching English vocabulary were studied by such authors as Nikitenko Z.N., Gaponova S.V., Passov E.I., Galskova N.D., J. Dakin, S. Ward, M. Grenough and others. All of them note that music and songs have a positive impact on the process of learning English.

The aim of this article is to analyze the usage of songs while learning English language in the higher educational establishments.

The main body

Songs are a powerful tool for learning a language. Not surprisingly, the idea of using music in teaching foreign languages is increasingly attracting the attention of researchers and practicing teachers.

It is well known that music, being an external factor, has a huge impact on a person. However, this influence is of an indirect nature, aimed at internal sensations, among which one of the most important is the psycho-physiological and emotional state of the student. In this regard, it is not surprising that this mechanism of influence on the effectiveness of the educational process most often falls into the field of view of researchers.

Despite conflicting scientific data in the field of medicine, physiology and psychology of the influence of music on the functional state of a person (the ability to cause psychological and physiological changes in the sensory, autonomic, motor and intellectual spheres of a person), it has been proven that music has a number of advantages compared to other didactic means. Since it causes emotional reactions, activates the neuro-psychic activity of students, and also has a beneficial effect on physiological functions and emotional state. Moreover, when listening to music, a special atmosphere is created that causes a variety of emotional states, which in turn activate various associations (visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory) and reactions (movement, pantomime).

Considering music and songs as a didactic tool that indirectly activates cognitive processes through an emotional state, it should be noted that the study of emotional modulations of the cognitive process, in particular the processes of thinking and speech, has been carefully studied, and many works in various fields of science have been devoted to this.

Currently, the vast majority of psychologists who study intellectual activity recognize the significant role of emotions in thinking. It is believed that emotions do not just affect thinking, but are also an indispensable component, and most human emotions are also intellectually dependent. A connection was established between emotions, thinking and other cognitive processes, in addition, the influence of a positive emotional state on the effectiveness of the educational process was proved.

Thus, one can see the analogy between music and speech in a number of studies of various aspects. Comparison of the perception of music and speech leads to the conclusion that speech and music have a rhythmic origin: music is subconsciously associated with the communicative experiences of the individual, causes speech associations, focuses on the perception of music and speech as a single communicative complex with a rhythmic basis (Gaponova, 1997: 15). Considering songs as a linguistic phenomenon, scientists believed that each language has its own musical basis (tempo, dynamics, rhythm, pitch and form).

According to the language goal, lyrics provide a culturally enriched and authentic context through which students can discover the world from different perspectives. Due to their personal, social and cultural nature, songs are distinguished as a strategic resource for learning a foreign language because they lend themselves to repeated listening and touch people's feelings and emotions, pushing them to discuss what they hear.

Music is a useful tool for learning a foreign language, as it provides relevant social and cultural information, as well as promotes recursive learning and memorization of the original language. In the process of learning a language, learners often rely on repetition and memorization to gain new lexical information. The challenge is to make the repetition of new information a meaningful aspect by choosing appropriate contexts in which to develop automation of lexical skills through repeated repetition. In this regard, repeated listening and memorizing the lyrics of a favorite song has become a widespread phenomenon in the cultural environment.

It is already widely known that mastering a foreign language as a means of communication is impossible without knowledge of the sociocultural characteristics of the country of the language being studied. Linguistic and regional studies and communicative approaches to teaching a foreign language are closely related and interdependent.

The problem of the relationship between language and culture is considered by a relatively young science, which is currently undergoing a period of growth - linguoculturology. The linguocultural approach to learning English is especially popular at the moment because its introduction into teaching methods provides an opportunity to broaden the horizons of students and include rich linguistic and cultural material in the learning process.

The linguoculturological approach to the study of the language ensures not only the assimilation by students of the life experience of the people, its culture (which includes moral and ethical values, art, national traditions and religion), but also the spiritual and aesthetic influence on the feelings and thoughts of the students.

The song is an integral part of the culture of any nation. And in this regard, the use of songs in the process of teaching a foreign language, namely, English, is an impressive source of linguistic and cultural knowledge, aesthetic education and spiritual enrichment.

The use of songs in English lessons as a teaching aid is a true source of information about the culture and life of the country of the language being studied, since the content of the song reflects the characteristic features of the surrounding reality of the modern world (for example, features of life, traditions, culture, etc.).

The main task of the author of the song is to select the most significant phenomena of the modern world, as well as the characteristics of his character and national culture characteristic of his people. The performer, in turn, expresses his worldview and attitude to the material being performed. Based on this, the song is a reliable source of information about the national culture and traditions of the people.

But besides a prosaic acquaintance with the culture of English-speaking countries, the use of properly selected songs by British and American performers can significantly facilitate the mastery of specific English vocabulary that has no equivalents in the native language and more fully reveal the picture of the world to the language learner.

Apart from the importance of the musical element, songs are useful in teaching English because of the motivation. Because songs are emotional (everyone has at least one favorite song, or a song associated with a particular moment or feeling), they help intrinsic motivation. In terms of acquiring language skills, song lyrics are some of the best lyrics for improving vocabulary and listening skills.

As a rule, among the four basic skills, educators prefer oral production, as if learning a language would only mean mastering speech. Most of the teaching materials used are written texts (literature, newspaper articles, magazines, etc.) because they are easy to find and easy to use in teaching. Instead, it has been found that the time we spend listening in one day is more than double the time we spend talking. It has also been proven that listening skills are acquired gradually.

The use of songs in English classes allows the teacher to combine conscious and unconscious processes and engage all students, regardless of their level of language proficiency. With the help of songs, the effectiveness of pronunciation work is increased through the appropriate use of rhythm in the song, as well as basic communication skills are improved by using various types of exercises with the lyrics of the song. Moreover, songs allow learning through emotional participation and dramatization of the text: the meaning of the lyrics in combination with the melody is the best vehicle for conveying emotions. In some cases, the lyrics of a song can be very useful in teaching the civilization, history, geography, and traditions of a country. Through the song, you can easily get to know any country without even visiting it. For example, let's imagine how many people in the world got to know England in the 60s thanks to the Beatles.

Teaching English is primarily teaching speech activity (speaking, listening, writing, reading), since the essence of speech activity is that it serves as a means of communication between people, transmits information from one person to another. Here it is important to define the concept of speech activity and find out what is the role of the song in its development. The structure of speech activity is characterized by an operational mechanism, which is a chain of speech actions and operations, each link of which includes orientation (motivation), planning and implementation of the statement. The effectiveness of the impact of the song is to arouse empathy in the listeners. Emotional factors become dominant in the process of mastering various aspects of the language being studied. Lessons with the use of songs interest students, increase their efficiency and creative activity, which has a positive effect on the final learning outcomes.

Moreover, popular songs touch the lives of students and relate to their different interests and everyday experiences. Almost all popular songs are related to the same themes of friendship, love, dreams, sadness and the rest, which are the common feelings of people. Since most young people are now interested in a wide range of cultural forms outside of the classroom, songs can be a truly motivating and unique learning tool. The use of movies, television, computer games and popular music in English lessons is very motivating. Accordingly, more time and concentration on popular music in English will undoubtedly increase students' motivation, as classroom activities will reflect their knowledge and vocabulary.

Another important factor that makes a song valuable for an English lesson is that it can create a truly conducive environment for learning. Many psychologists and leading methodologists believe that the use of music and songs can stimulate positive associations to language learning, which can otherwise only be seen as a time-consuming task that entails exams, frustration, and corrections. People usually identify songs with pleasure, so learning through songs is associated with a pleasant atmosphere.

Listening to songs is a great way to learn about the culture of a particular country, as well as the language that is used within the cultural community, since language is one of the branches of culture. It should be noted that music is not universal, and therefore authentic songs are a reflection of the time and place that produced it. There are many songs that are a cultural capsule, including within themselves a significant piece of social information. The songs of the 1940s reflect not only the available sound technology of their day, but also the hopes and fears of the period. It's the same phenomenon for the songs of every decade. Another benefit of using songs in the English classroom is that they include linguistic information such as vocabulary items, pronunciation or grammar. Thus, students acquire new knowledge very often without intending to do so. In addition, many teachers will undoubtedly appreciate the didactic role of music.

The songs can be seen as representing “distortions” of the normal speech patterns of the language. There is a claim that normal speech and songs are on the same continuum of human sounds. Namely, they both represent forms of communication in a linguistic sense and have melodic and rhythmic content.

As mentioned earlier, songs can contain rich linguistic knowledge. It's about learning that this process happens in different ways and all kinds of learning goes on all the time. However, sometimes this is intentional because students receive information presented in class or when they look up a word in a dictionary. Sometimes, on the contrary, the learning process can be unexpected, for example, when listeners listen to music. In this regard, teachers of foreign languages are encouraged to use songs and their students will learn elements of the language through unintentional learning.

Thus, the most obvious reasons for integrating songs into the process of teaching a foreign language are advantages such as simple memorization and consolidation of vocabulary, unconscious pronunciation practice, mastery of language patterns through their repeated use and task motivation through emotional participation. In addition, songs help improve listening skills, affect behavior and emotions, and have a positive effect on student motivation.

Conclusions

The positive influence of music and songs on the processes of thinking, in particular, on the study of a foreign language, is an undeniable phenomenon. Comparison of the perception of music and speech leads to the conclusion that speech and music have a rhythmic origin: music is subconsciously associated with the communicative experiences of the individual, causes speech associations, focuses on the perception of music and speech as a single communicative complex with a rhythmic basis. Considering songs as a linguistic phenomenon, scientists believed that each language has its own musical basis (tempo, dynamics, rhythm, pitch and form). Learning a foreign language is impossible without a linguocultural approach. Therefore, the use of songs in English lessons as a teaching aid is a true source of information about the culture and life of the country of the language being studied, since the content of the song reflects the characteristic features of the surrounding reality of the modern world (for example, features of life, traditions, culture, etc.).

From all of the above, it should be concluded that the use of songs is the most interesting ideological tool for the formation of lexical skills and increasing students' motivation to learn. Thanks to the songs, there is a strong assimilation and expansion of the vocabulary of schoolchildren, and, no less important, the emotional atmosphere of the class improves.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. Гапонова С.В. Сучасні методи викладання іноземних мов за кордоном. Іноземні мови. 1997. № 4.

2. Никитенко З.Н. Аутентичные песни как один из элементов национально - культурного компонента содержания обучения иностранному языку на начальном этапе. Иностранный язык в школе. 1996. № 4. S. 14-20.

3. Mark Hancock. (1998). Singing Grammar. Teaching grammar through songs. Cambridge University Press. 96 p.

4. Arnold J. (2017). New Ways in Teaching With Music J. Arnold, E. Herrick. Tesol press. URL: http://www.aogaku- daku.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/14109_NW-in-Teaching-With-Music_e-book.pdf

REFERENCES

1. Gaponova S.V. Suchasni metodi vikladannya snozemnih mov za kordonom. [Modern methods of teaching foreign languages abroad]. Inozemni movi. 1997. № 4. [In Ukrainian].

2. Nikitenko Z.N. Autentichnye pesni kak odin iz elementov nacional'no - kul'turnogo komponenta soderzhaniya obucheniya inostrannomu yazyku na nachal'nom etape. [Authentic songs as one of the elements of the national and cultural component of the content of teaching a foreign language at the initial stage]. Inostrannyj yazyk v shkole. 1996. № 4. S. 14-20. [In Russian].

3. Mark Hancock. (1998). Singing Grammar. Teaching grammar through songs. Cambridge University Press. 96 p.

Arnold J. (2017). New Ways in Teaching With Music J. Arnold, E. Herrick. Tesol press. URL: http://www.aogaku- daku.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/14109_NW-in-Teaching-With-Music_e-book.pdf

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