📘 Part 3: Songs and poems

This episode's vocabulary

Humorous (adj.) - funny, or making you laugh.

To recite (verb) - to say a piece of writing aloud from memory, or to publicly say a list of things.

The sky is the limit (idiom) - there is no limit.

Complex (adj.) - involving a lot of different but related parts.

To grasp (verb) - to understand something, especially something difficult.

The jury is out (phrase) - If you say that the jury is out or that the jury is still out on a particular subject, you mean that people in general have still not made a decision or formed an opinion about that subject.

Specifics (plural noun) - exact details.

Rhythmic (adj.) - a rhythmic sound has a regular movement or beat that is repeated.

To trigger (verb) - to cause something to start.

To enhance (verb) - to improve the quality, amount, or strength of something.

Anthem (noun) - a song that has special importance for a particular group of people, an organization, or a country, often sung on a special occasion.

Gathering (noun) - a party or a meeting when many people come together as a group.

Hymn (noun) - a song of praise, esp. to God.

Verse (noun) - one of the parts that a poem or song is divided into.

Contingent on/upon something (phrase) - depending on something else in the future in order to happen.

Astute (adj.) - able to understand a situation quickly and see how to take advantage of it.

To aid (verb) - help, typically of a practical nature.

Retention (noun) - the continued use, existence, or possession of something or someone.

Contemporary (adj.) - existing or happening now, and therefore seeming modern.

Questions and Answers

M: What can people learn from songs or poems?

R: Well, all kinds of things. There's this particularly humorous example of this guy playing the piano and reciting the periodic table that I think helps people remember elements of it, if you'll pardon the pun. So if they can learn that, then the sky is pretty much the limit, isn't it?

M: Is it easier for children to learn a song or poem than adults?

R: That's a good question. I mean, theoretically, children have more time to learn things like songs compared to adults who've got work and social lives. However, the songs might not be as complex, since they can't really grasp the sounds and concepts as easily as adult minds. So I suppose the jury's pretty much kind of out on that one, I suppose. As always, it depends on the specifics.

M: Why might children like the rhythm of songs or poems?

R: Well, if it's a particularly rhythmic one, then it's just fun to listen to, isn't it? I imagine it triggers all kinds of dopamine and other neurotransmitter releases too, which might enhance the feelings they experience. Adults will get that too, but since kids are experiencing them for the first time, the high is likely greater, I'd imagine.

M: Do people in your country listen to songs from other countries?

R: Yes, they do, because Eurovision is quite popular, and that's the time when different European countries come together to share different songs they've written for that particular event. So that's just one example of them coming together to share things. There will be other examples, but that's the leading one.

M: When do people in your country sing songs together?

R: Oh, gosh, well, I suppose the big ones are religious and sporting events. So for example, football clubs tend to have their own songs as well, and they'll probably, if their regional or national teams, have the national or regional anthems as well. And then, if we talk about religious gatherings, of course, when you're together in church, people tend to sing different hymns and verses from the Bible.

M: Where do people in your country go to sing?

R: Well, other than churches and various other religious establishments, they also do it in football stadiums when the matches are on. I think those are the leading ones. Possibly they would also sing when they have certain school competitions, for example. That might be fun for them to join in.

M: Is it easy for people to memorize songs or poems?

R: I think that's probably contingent on two things. The first will be the person or the individual, and the second will be the nature of what it is they have to memorize. So if we think about individuals, I mean, memory is a very personal thing, and some people will have better memories than others. They might be more musically astute, too. So some people are more able to follow a beat, and that can aid with the memory retention. And then on top of that, it's not only about the individual, it's also about the song. So if a song is fairly rhythmic or has lots of repetition or rhyming going on, then that would probably make it easier to remember just through regularity. But if it's something more complex or abstract, like some kind of contemporary poem where the sentences break in half at weird points, then I can see that being an issue for memory.

M: Yay! Thank you, Rory, for your answers!