Using music in a word stress processing task: Does it favor learners with a musical background?

Degrave, Pauline [UCL]

Previous studies have reported that the use of music in foreign language methodologies (e.g. hand-clapping or songs) can help learners to acquire foreign languages. It remains unclear, however, whether this kind of method helps every learner equally or whether it is more beneficial for learners with a musical background, such as musical practice, musical abilities, or engagement in musical activities. In order to answer this question, we tested 80 French speakers whose musical background was evaluated using a questionnaire. They performed a word stress processing task in Dutch containing spoken stimuli, spoken stimuli with a beat, or sung stimuli. The results show that learners with some musical characteristics obtain higher scores than other learners and that the use of music in the task can favor learners with a musical background.