The role of modern songs in teaching english vocabulary and grammar

Abstract

In order to maintain student’s interest in language learning when English is not seen as an important factor for their needs, teachers Iiave to find creative ways to teach language and expand student’s motivation to learn. Learning English as an international language lias a great importance in different levels of education in Kazakhstan, but unfortunately most of the students are not satisfied with their abilities in English after studying it for several years in their school. Of course, there are different reasons for this problem, but one of the reasons which is the concern of this study is lack of motivation. The most promising and effective in the classroom of a foreign language is the use of musical clarity, in particular modem popular song material, as a support. The choice of modem foreign music is determined by its cognitive value, an adequate reflection of the characteristics of life, culture and life, the way of thinking of the inhabitants of the countries of the language being studied. In addition, the use of musical material in the classroom can enhance the motivational factor, create a favorable psychological climate in the classroom improve the efficiency of studying grammar and vocabulary. Moreover, it is well known that when a student Ieams a foreign language and then does not use it for several years, after some time he forgets almost everything except a few songs that he has learned.

Introduction

Learning a foreign language is not easy to imagine without an activity like working with a song. After all, the songs of modern English or American groups are of particular interest to many students. But, unfortunately, work with a song often comes down only to reading the words of the song, translating them, listening to them and playing the song together to a phonogram. This is not worth it. In teaching a foreign language, the use of modem authentic songs is a very effective technique.

First of all, work with song material provides faster learning of new lexical material (the lyrics of our favorite songs are quickly remembered, and sometimes they remain in our long - term memory for years. It can also be noted that the study of grammar is also greatly simplified when working with a song, because, as a rule, students have the most difficulty with this particular area of study. Therefore, having studied any grammatical Constmction from the song you like, in the future, students no longer have a negative reaction or fear of learning a more complex grammar. This includes various grammatical constructions, any stable expressions, tense forms of verbs.

Materials and methods

Modern song is a great way to teach modern culture, as well as to Ieam phrases, intonation and pronunciation correctly. Thus, this document demonstrates a broader approach to the use of song and music in language lessons and shows a very successful method of language learning. Goal of the research is to show the effectiveness of using modem songs in English lessons for enriching vocabulary and studying grammar. Currently, the majority of students have many problems creating grammatical mles and sentence Stmctures. Therefore, it is a little difficult to Ieam a language in classes that cannot even form simple sentences. Students also have trouble reading sentences, so they avoid reading out loud because there are some concerns that they cannot read correctly. Since these problems are often encountered, it is difficult for teachers to choose effective methods of teaching language [1].

This is a very effective way to teach students through songs , but teaching teenagers with songs can be a challenge. With these songs, students can learn vocabulary and complex sounds and learn to use rhythms effectively. In this regard, several programs can be designed to meet the needs of students. Playing while singing is very effective. These exercises give students freedom and help them express their opinions freely and thus learn their language. The rhythm of the songs helps students to formulate words correctly. Many songs consist of many repetition and it allows students to memorize new words. One of the difficulties that teenagers face when learning a second language is their shyness from other classmates when they repeat their words several times. So they recommend saying no words more than to make a mistake, so they can't train their spell under the influence of such obstacles.

Results and discussion

Professor of Foreign Languages and Applied Linguistics at Yuan Ze University, Taiwan, Tim Murphey writes that it may be surprising how quickly students can memorize a new song [2]. Moreover, it is well known that when a student learns a foreign language and then does not use it for several years, after some time he forgets almost everything except a few songs that he has learned.

According to him, other benefits of the songs may be following:

• It seems, «to sing in a language is easier than to speak it».
• The songs are likely to «precede and help the development of language in young children».
• Singing songs is like an egocentric language, which is the conversation of children «without special concern for the addressee». Simply said, they like to hear them repeat.
• Songs (especially children's songs) use a simple, informal and familiar language with many repetitions, which is suitable for learning a new language.
• As Murphey writes: «The most important thing is probably relaxing songs. They provide diversity and fun, and also promote harmony in oneself and in a group» [3].
• In addition, the songs are short and have separate lyrics.

Language teachers have all the chances and must apply the songs as a share of their own educational repertoire. The songs contain a real language, are simply accessible, provide lexicographical reserves, grammatical and cultural nuances and are considered to be exciting for students. They have all the chances to give valuable abilities to speaking, listening and speaking in the classroom and beyond. Despite all the advantages of using the song in teaching a foreign language, educational and methodical complexes do not contain enough song material. At the beginning and middle stages of training, the teacher must select the appropriate lyrics, taking into account the practical objectives of the training period and the age of the students.

The song selection criteria can be as follows:

• the song should be pleasant, rhythmic, not too long, have a chorus;
• it should motivate, interest students;
• correspond to the age and degree of training of students;

reflect country - specific;

• the voice of the performer should be clear.

Not every song is suitable for an English lesson. Most modern English songs contain slang words and phrases. In particular, this applies to rap, respectively, the vocabulary of such songs is not suitable for enriching the vocabulary of students [4]. Therefore, when choosing a song for an English lesson, you need to pay attention to the following areas:

• jazz;
• blues;
• folk;
• country music;
• operas;
• musicals.

The method of using each song provides for the preliminary introduction, activation and consolidation of the lexical and grammatical material of the songs used.

Also, the sequence of work with the song can be quite diverse, depending on the methodical task and the goal that the teacher wants to achieve. Therefore, let us consider the approximate sequence of work with the song material in the lesson, which was described by G.S. Sinkevich [5, 50 - 53]. The sequence can be as follows:

1. A brief introduction, in which the students are prepared for the primary listening to the song. Here, as a rule, the teacher gives a brief description of the song, its style or history of creation, summing up the topic of the lesson. Some difficult words with translation may also be offered to remove possible difficulties, which contributes to a more effective understanding of the text and work with it.
2. At the second stage theory is a primary perception of the musical work (especially melody, rhythm, recognition Ofindividual words and phrases).
3. The third step is to check the understanding of the lyrics, when the teacher, asking questions, determines the degree of understanding of the text by students. As well as work with the translation Ofincomprehensible words with the joint efforts of students.
4. In order to ensure full understanding, the teacher may deliberately draw the students attention to certain linguistic features of the text, such as: new vocabulary, grammatical phenomena, pronunciation or stable expressions. Thus, the teacher contributes to a more effective consolidation of new material. At the senior stage of training the teacher can also pay attention of pupils to how the author used a way of expression of this or that thought.
5. The next step is to re - listen to the song, but with the support of the text.
6. Then there is a phonetic working out of the text of the song, i.e. sounds or intonation, and also correctness of pronunciation are fulfilled.
7. At the next stage, the song is learned in the process of joint performance.
8. In later lessons, is the repetition of the song until its complete assimilation (1-2 times). Due to this, the necessary lexical and grammatical material remains in the memory of students.

Conclusion

The demand for a foreign language in society increases its status as a school subject in the system of general education and stimulates the search for new ways and methods of teaching a foreign language at school. The purpose Oflearning is to master a foreign language as a means of foreign language communication, for the successful implementation of which students should be well formed phonetic, grammatical and lexical skills. Thanks to the songs in the lesson, a favorable psychological climate is created, the psychological load is reduced, the language activity is activated, the emotional tone is increased, interest in learning English is maintained. This article is devoted to the study of the formation of lexical and grammatical skills in school students on the basis of the material of songs in English. In addition, songs in a foreign language reflect the peculiarities of life, culture and life of the people of the country of the language being studied. It can also be noted that the creative approach to the study of vocabulary eliminates not only the boring, useless memorization, but also develops the memory, thinking and creative abilities of students.

References:

1. Adolphs S., & Schmitt N. (2003). Lexical coverage of spoken discourse. Applied Linguistics, 24(4).
2. Murphey, Tim. Music & Song. Oxford: University Press, 1992. Print Graham. C. 1993 Granmrar chants: More Jazz Chants. OUP.
3. Korostelev V.S.. Passov E.I. The process of learning the lexical side of speech as a system / Problems of the communicative method of teaching the foreign side of speech / VGPL Voronezh, 1980.
4. Alderson, J.C. (2007). Judging the frequency OfEnglish words. Applied Linguistics. 28 (3).
5. Sinkevich G.S.. Song in English lessons / G. S. Sinkevich / / Foreign language at school. 2002 - P. 50 -53.