LINGUIST List 17.409
Tue Feb 07 2006
Diss: Cognitive Science: Gilleece: 'An Empirical Inv...'
Editor for this issue: Meredith Valant
<meredithlinguistlist.org>
Directory
1. Lorraine
Gilleece,
An Empirical Investigation of the Association between Musical Aptitude and Foreign Language Aptitude
Message 1: An Empirical Investigation of the Association between Musical Aptitude and Foreign Language Aptitude
Date: 06-Feb-2006
From: Lorraine Gilleece <lorrainegilleeceonline.ie>
Subject: An Empirical Investigation of the Association between Musical Aptitude and Foreign Language Aptitude
Institution: Trinity College Dublin
Program: Centre for Language and Communication Studies
Dissertation Status: Completed
Degree Date: 2006
Author: Lorraine Frances Gilleece
Dissertation Title: An Empirical Investigation of the Association between Musical Aptitude and Foreign Language Aptitude
Linguistic Field(s):
Cognitive Science
Dissertation Director:
David M Singleton
Carl Vogel
Dissertation Abstract:
Given the joint ubiquity of music and language, and pre-theoreticsimilarities between the two, it is relevant to consider the relationshipbetween musical ability and linguistic ability, specifically in relation tosecond language acquisition. The specific question of musical aptitude andits relationship to foreign language aptitude is the central focus of thisthesis.
In Chapter 2, the dissertation reviews classical and recent research onindividual differences, in particular those individual differences whichare known to have a major impact on the second language learning process.This review reveals a complex relationship between language aptitude,intelligence and working memory. Chapter 3 examines the relationshipbetween music and other cognitive abilities, focussing primarily on therelationship between music and language ability. This suggests that furtheranalysis of the music-language relationship is indeed justified. From theanalysis of past research reported in Chapters 2 and 3, open questionsemerge about two important issues: the extent to which music and languageaptitude are related, and the extent to which that relationship is mediatedby general intelligence.
Empirical investigations are carried out to investigate these issuesquantitatively and qualitatively. Phase I of the study examines receptiveaptitude in music and language. A sample of 149 subjects completes theBentley Measures of Musical Aptitude and a language aptitude test based onthe Modern Language Aptitude Test, in addition to the Raven ProgressiveMatrices Test. Phase II of the study examines productive aptitude in musicand language. Forty one of the original subjects imitate foreign languagewords and sentences and short rhythm patterns. Results of both experimentsreveal a significant relationship between music and language aptitude,independent of general intelligence. Correlations may be considered smallto moderate.
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