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Science Behind Language Learning | How does music help you learn a second language?

11m · Adventures in Language · 16 Nov 16:00

Do musicians have an “ear” for language learning? Can you learn a second language by listening to music? Why do some languages seem to sound so “musical”? In our latest episode, Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Linguist, PhD) examines the connection between music and language, including how music helps language learning.

If you want to learn more about the scientific research consulted for this episode, and how Mango guides learners, take a look at our blog post on this topic: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/music-and-language-learning-a-harmonious-duo

Here’s some other Mango content that can help you make the most of your language learning adventure:

  • How Prosody Works
  • How Sentences Work
  • The Four Tones - Basic Chinese Mandarin Ep. 2
  • Are some people just good at learning languages?
  • What motivates you to learn a second language?

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following the podcast and leaving us a review! We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages. 

Wondering what languages were used in today’s video/episode? 

English | Recording language

Dari |  سَلام (salaam) and خُداحافِظ (khuda haafez) mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Dari , one of two of Afghanistan’s official languages. Fun fact: Dari is in the same language family as English, German, and Spanish (the Indo-European family)!

Italian | Buongiorno and Arrivederci mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Italian, an Indo-European language spoken in Italy. Fun fact: There are over 30 different regional varieties spoken across Italy!

Interested in learning Dari, Italian, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to start learning! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is a linguist and the Head of Research at Mango Languages. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in how the mind and brain learn languages. Aside from geeking out about all things neuroscience and linguistics, she loves hanging out with her family at their Connecticut home, trying to convince them to speak French with her.

George Smith (Ph.D., University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa) is a Linguistics Content Writer at Mango Languages. He holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa, and conducts research on second language listening, speaking, and vocabulary learning. He is a lifelong teacher and learner who enjoys gabbing about language with his family and friends.

The episode Science Behind Language Learning | How does music help you learn a second language? from the podcast Adventures in Language has a duration of 11:10. It was first published 16 Nov 16:00. The cover art and the content belong to their respective owners.

More episodes from Adventures in Language

Science Behind Language Learning | How does music help you learn a second language?

Do musicians have an “ear” for language learning? Can you learn a second language by listening to music? Why do some languages seem to sound so “musical”? In our latest episode, Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Linguist, PhD) examines the connection between music and language, including how music helps language learning.

If you want to learn more about the scientific research consulted for this episode, and how Mango guides learners, take a look at our blog post on this topic: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/music-and-language-learning-a-harmonious-duo

Here’s some other Mango content that can help you make the most of your language learning adventure:

  • How Prosody Works
  • How Sentences Work
  • The Four Tones - Basic Chinese Mandarin Ep. 2
  • Are some people just good at learning languages?
  • What motivates you to learn a second language?

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following the podcast and leaving us a review! We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages. 

Wondering what languages were used in today’s video/episode? 

English | Recording language

Dari |  سَلام (salaam) and خُداحافِظ (khuda haafez) mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Dari , one of two of Afghanistan’s official languages. Fun fact: Dari is in the same language family as English, German, and Spanish (the Indo-European family)!

Italian | Buongiorno and Arrivederci mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Italian, an Indo-European language spoken in Italy. Fun fact: There are over 30 different regional varieties spoken across Italy!

Interested in learning Dari, Italian, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to start learning! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is a linguist and the Head of Research at Mango Languages. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in how the mind and brain learn languages. Aside from geeking out about all things neuroscience and linguistics, she loves hanging out with her family at their Connecticut home, trying to convince them to speak French with her.

George Smith (Ph.D., University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa) is a Linguistics Content Writer at Mango Languages. He holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa, and conducts research on second language listening, speaking, and vocabulary learning. He is a lifelong teacher and learner who enjoys gabbing about language with his family and friends.

Science Behind Language Learning | How does music help you learn a second language?

Do musicians have an “ear” for language learning? Can you learn a second language by listening to music? Why do some languages seem to sound so “musical”? In our latest episode, Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Linguist, PhD) examines the connection between music and language, including how music helps language learning.

If you want to learn more about the scientific research consulted for this episode, and how Mango guides learners, take a look at our blog post on this topic: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/music-and-language-learning-a-harmonious-duo

Here’s some other Mango content that can help you make the most of your language learning adventure:

  • How Prosody Works
  • How Sentences Work
  • The Four Tones - Basic Chinese Mandarin Ep. 2
  • Are some people just good at learning languages?
  • What motivates you to learn a second language?

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following the podcast and leaving us a review! We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages. 

Wondering what languages were used in today’s video/episode? 

English | Recording language

Dari |  سَلام (salaam) and خُداحافِظ (khuda haafez) mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Dari , one of two of Afghanistan’s official languages. Fun fact: Dari is in the same language family as English, German, and Spanish (the Indo-European family)!

Italian | Buongiorno and Arrivederci mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Italian, an Indo-European language spoken in Italy. Fun fact: There are over 30 different regional varieties spoken across Italy!

Interested in learning Dari, Italian, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to start learning! https://mangolanguages.com/app

Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is a linguist and the Head of Research at Mango Languages. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in how the mind and brain learn languages. Aside from geeking out about all things neuroscience and linguistics, she loves hanging out with her family at their Connecticut home, trying to convince them to speak French with her.

George Smith (Ph.D., University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa) is a Linguistics Content Writer at Mango Languages. He holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa, and conducts research on second language listening, speaking, and vocabulary learning. He is a lifelong teacher and learner who enjoys gabbing about language with his family and friends.

Science Behind Language Learning | Can you have a "great personality" for language learning?

You can probably think of someone who has a great personality. But can you have a great personality for language learning? In our latest episode, Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Linguist, PhD) takes a look at how all the little quirks that make us unique come into play when learning a second language.

If you want to learn more about the scientific research consulted for this episode, and how Mango guides learners, take a look at our blog post on this topic: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/can-you-have-a-great-personality-for-language-learning

Here’s some other Mango content that can help you make the most of your language learning adventure:

  • Why do we get anxious about learning a second language?
  • What motivates you to learn a second language?

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following the podcast and leaving us a review! We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode? 

English | Recording language

Ukrainian | Доброго дня (dobroho dnya) and До побачення (doh pobachenya) mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Ukrainian, an East Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. Ukrainian is officially recognized as a minority language by more than 10 countries in Eastern Europe.

Norwegian | Hallo (HAHLLoh) and Ha det (HAAHdeh) mean “Hello” and “Bye” in Norwegian, a Germanic language spoken in Norway. 

Interested in learning Ukrainian, Norwegian, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to start learning! https://mangolanguages.com/app


Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is a linguist and the Head of Research at Mango Languages. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in how the mind and brain learn languages. Aside from geeking out about all things neuroscience and linguistics, she loves hanging out with her family at their Connecticut home, trying to convince them to speak French with her.

George Smith (Ph.D., University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa) is a Linguistics Content Writer at Mango Languages. He holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa, and conducts research on second language listening, speaking, and vocabulary learning. He is a lifelong teacher and learner who enjoys gabbing about language with his family and friends.

#languageteaching #languageEd #worldlanguageEd #languagelearning #languagelearners #languagelover

Science Behind Language Learning | Can you have a "great personality" for language learning?

You can probably think of someone who has a great personality. But can you have a great personality for language learning? In our latest episode, Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Linguist, PhD) takes a look at how all the little quirks that make us unique come into play when learning a second language.

If you want to learn more about the scientific research consulted for this episode, and how Mango guides learners, take a look at our blog post on this topic: https://blog.mangolanguages.com/can-you-have-a-great-personality-for-language-learning

Here’s some other Mango content that can help you make the most of your language learning adventure:

  • Why do we get anxious about learning a second language?
  • What motivates you to learn a second language?

If you liked this episode, please let us know by following the podcast and leaving us a review! We also invite you to check out our website at: https://mangolanguages.com/ and follow us on social media @MangoLanguages.

Wondering what languages were used in today’s episode? 

English | Recording language

Ukrainian | Доброго дня (dobroho dnya) and До побачення (doh pobachenya) mean “Hello” and “Goodbye” in Ukrainian, an East Slavic language spoken mainly in Ukraine. Ukrainian is officially recognized as a minority language by more than 10 countries in Eastern Europe.

Norwegian | Hallo (HAHLLoh) and Ha det (HAAHdeh) mean “Hello” and “Bye” in Norwegian, a Germanic language spoken in Norway. 

Interested in learning Ukrainian, Norwegian, or one of the other 70+ languages that the Mango app offers? Click here to start learning! https://mangolanguages.com/app


Kaitlyn Tagarelli (Ph.D., Georgetown University) is a linguist and the Head of Research at Mango Languages. She holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Georgetown University, specializing in how the mind and brain learn languages. Aside from geeking out about all things neuroscience and linguistics, she loves hanging out with her family at their Connecticut home, trying to convince them to speak French with her.

George Smith (Ph.D., University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa) is a Linguistics Content Writer at Mango Languages. He holds a Ph.D. in Second Language Studies from the University of Hawai‛i at Mānoa, and conducts research on second language listening, speaking, and vocabulary learning. He is a lifelong teacher and learner who enjoys gabbing about language with his family and friends.

#languageteaching #languageEd #worldlanguageEd #languagelearning #languagelearners #languagelover

How Language Works | How Prosody Works

All languages have a certain musicality to them – a specific kind of rhythm, intonation, and melody. This is called prosody, and it contains a lot of linguistic, social, and emotional information. In this episode, Mango Languages linguist Emily Sabo (PhD) is breaking down what exactly prosody is and how it works in your everyday speech. You’ll also learn how to listen for prosody’s 3 main acoustic features. Enjoy! 

Come join the Mango family by subscribing to the podcast!

Test your knowledge here: https://mangosurvey.typeform.com/to/F9vjL7Pi

Instagram: @mangolanguages

Facebook: facebook.com/MangoLanguages

Website: https://mangolanguages.com

Contact (app inquiries): send us a message here

#prosody #whatisprosody #howintonationworks #linguistics #mangolanguages #howlanguageworks

Meet your host! Emily Sabo (PhD, University of Michigan) is a linguist at Mango who specializes in the social and cognitive factors that impact bilingual language processing. Emily is also a language teacher, a producer of the We Are What We Speak docuseries, and get this...a storytelling standup comedian!

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