mollypolly190 Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) lan·guage [lang-gwij] noun1.a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural traditionSo, what do you think? Is music a language? Edited November 3, 2012 by mollypolly190 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
v__r Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 yes and no. It's artistic emotive language not a informative communicative language, like can you express sadness in music but can certain music tell you that the sky is blue to a person who never seen a blue sky? or how to style your hair to a ponytail for example. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaushalz Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 (edited) Music is formed of different languages (music with lyrics). So I would say that music is not a language, but a subcategory of language.If we are talking about music as in music (no lyrics), then I would agree with the person above me. This type of music is a non informative language which is used to express emotions. Edited November 3, 2012 by Kaushalz Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macrofire Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 yes and no.It's artistic emotive language not a informative communicative language, like can you express sadness in music but can certain music tell you that the sky is blue to a person who never seen a blue sky? or how to style your hair to a ponytail for example.Does emotion not communicate information? Perhaps music is not as useful as a tool to communicate factual language, but it has a message, a medium and a motive. Your argue that because music is not as practical, it can be considered as a non-language. We aren't dealing with abstract truths that can't be tested, so why bother bringing in the pragmatic test? It's a language...just different from the ones you use a lot.Music is formed of different languages (music with lyrics). So I would say that music is not a language, but a subcategory of language.If we are talking about music as in music (no lyrics), then I would agree with the person above me. This type of music is a non informative language which is used to express emotions.If music is a subcategory of language, then wouldn't it still be a language? If it's not a language, then it can't fit under the umbrella case of language. There's no argument that music is both language and a non-language, it's either one or the other. That aside, lyrical music is considered a subcategory of music, and yet it's still music. Just because instrumental music doesn't have traces of human language mean that it isn't a language of its own. Besides the auditory component of language, we also have a written portion (music scores of any kind, not just western scores). Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldld Posted November 3, 2012 Report Share Posted November 3, 2012 lan·guage [lang-gwij] noun1.a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural traditionThat definition of language is very limiting. Really, language encompasses much more than just that. In particular, you can have artificial languages which are intended to be used for a particular purpose.Think of computer languages (specifically programming languages), for instance. These are languages that are designed for one specific purpose: to tell a computer what to do. Similarly, music notation is a language designed to tell the performer which notes to play. These types of languages are known as formal languages. I specifically refer to music notation, which might seem like it would depend on the notational system used, however it does not really matter since any music can be specified exactly in some form of notation (any audio recording comes down to a specified notation to play back the sounds)At that level, music can be seen as a language. The ideas of emotion, expressiveness, etc. (BUT too many people forget, art is not informed solely by emotion!) simply add complexity bringing it closer, in some respects, to a language such as English, which I don't really have time to get into right now. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambriah Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 yes, think about all of those old cartoons like popeye , betty boop,looney toons, Tom&Jerry & etc. They all seem to get messages through , yes, through sound effects (music). Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
q1w2e3r4 Posted November 9, 2012 Report Share Posted November 9, 2012 yeah definitely music is sound that relates emotion, and can tell a story, this is similar to language. In fact its all just sound that gets interpreted in one way or another, so technically a group of people could be taught to understand music as a language. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChocolateDrop Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Yes I think music is a language because I don't think language is confined to just words.You get some rare tribes who communicate in clicks and sounds we wouldn't categorize as 'words' per say because there are no syllables associated with the sound, but we cannot say that this is not a language. They are still able to get ideas and information across and I don't think language is confined to just words which you can reproduce verbally and be written. Take morse code for example, even when it is not expressed in dots and dashes I still believe it is a language. And sign language as well. It is a language created specifically to avoid (or function without) the use of words as it is created primarily for people who are unable to form intelligible words.I believe a language can communicate more than just meanings but feelings as well. Body language is a language as well is a language within the body. It's a mental and physical form of communication and it doesn't use words to connect feeling and communication and is non-verbal, but still can communicate ideas and feelings non verbally. Like the phrase action 'speaks louder than words', a language can be a communicative language in essence without the use of words. We interpret/ recall/ deduce information from external stimulus internally.If we strip language to communication, Music is a language. Just because it is subjective doesn’t make it any less of a language. If you think about it all the information you obtain from everyday life down to experience and is very subjective as opposed to objective. Perception is subjective. This is why there is usually alrernate versions of the same event. It’s because it’s how you experienced it. Say a crumpled up piece of paper hits you and there is only you and one other person in the room when this happens. Automatically, because from your experience crumpled up pieces of paper don’t just fling themselves, you will perceive this instance as the person in the room flung the piece of paper. You didn’t actually see the act of the paper get flung at you, but your brain connects the ‘evidence’ together and fills in the gaps. Your neural pathways and sens organs worked together to create this image and form the experience. And it is your knowledge that the person flung a piece of paper to you. And this knowledge is communicated to you.I think language is the communication of symbols rather than words.It is able to stimulates our sense of hearing and conveys information via external sound sources.One of the arguments for music not being a language is it doesn’t have a set meaning tied to one or more concrete thing or abstract concept. It’s too subjective to be a language basically. In an ideal world a sybol is tied to something specific. Like the word red for example. We all know what red is. But I think red does not have the same meaning to everyone. To a physicist they will describe it in terms of wavelengths, maybe even rainbows. To someone else it is blood. However to a colorblind person, it is something completely different, maybe even imagined. But still despite different meanings of the same word verbal English language is considered a language. So why can’t music be the same?I think music is at least a mimic language, or a resemblance of language if not simply just a language. It depends on the definition of language. In the definition of language. In the definition ‘a body of words and the systems for their use common to a people who are of the same community or nation, the same geographical area, or the same cultural tradition’. Music is not a language. But by my definition it may well be a language. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fяαи Posted November 10, 2012 Report Share Posted November 10, 2012 Yes, music is a language.If you turn on your radio and listen to a tune or a beat, you can feel the music pumping and moving through you (unless you have no feelings, but that's beside the point). It describes emotions more than anything else. So, in my opinion, I would say it's a language of emotion. For example, in a movie, they would use all sorts of background music to set the mood and bring out a reaction, an emotion. 1 Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
milk out of nose Posted December 12, 2012 Report Share Posted December 12, 2012 No. It has the emotive component but not the logical component of language. If we were to classify something as language only because it conveys emotion, then we would have to count a baby's cry as language. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macrofire Posted December 14, 2012 Report Share Posted December 14, 2012 No. It has the emotive component but not the logical component of language. If we were to classify something as language only because it conveys emotion, then we would have to count a baby's cry as language.Then a baby's cry would be considered language. Tell me why not and I'll show you how you are wrong. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
onur basman Posted February 1, 2013 Report Share Posted February 1, 2013 this was actually a subject i discussed in my first mock TOK essay, here's a passage from my essay"Music is an essential to most humans, it is a way of coping with life, and it sometimes may even be used to change the mood of the listener. Your mood shapes the music that you listen to. You would not listen to hard rock or metal after a recent breakup instead you will listen to romantic songs. You will also notice that some songs will make you feel happy. For example whenever I listen to a Beatles song let’s say ‘Love Me Do’ a fun/happy feeling forms inside of me. I do not believe that connotation of music is limited with its lyrics. Even when you listen to the tune of Bob Marley’s ‘Don’t Worry Be Happy ‘ you will find yourself feeling happier (positive connotation) businesses use this a lot in their advertisements in order to get the potential customers attention. Although music does have a sense of connotation and is able to shift your mood it cannot be classified as a language as the only knowledge acquired if any is acquired is one way thus there is no communication." i hope this helped you although written in TOK sense i believe it could shed light on your question. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franz Liszt Posted February 24, 2013 Report Share Posted February 24, 2013 Even in the prehistoric times, during the era of the caveman where words fail to arise in any sort of useful language, they possessed music through their crude instruments where they would beat and dance to the music... but why? Wasn't survival at that time really difficult a constant struggle against nature? This really seems to exemplify music as a language, not in an everyday communication system but in an expressive system, vital for releasing the emotions within. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabz Posted February 26, 2013 Report Share Posted February 26, 2013 Depends how you define music. You have music with lyrics and each word goes with the specific pitch of the tune so yeah it is considered a language. On the other side, music is linked directly to the music. Each tune has its own effect on the emotions. So yes and no. Reply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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