Keywords
cross-linguistic meanings
songs
semantics
language indigenization
How to Cite
Abstract
Historical evidence reveals that mishearing words have contributed to language enrichment. Presently, such mishearing persists in the form of mondegreens, which are quite pervasive in the field of songs. However, most studies on this phenomenon have primarily focused on phonology, leaving its scope explored insufficiently. This qualitative study aimed to investigate other aspects of mondegreens, especially their semantic dimensions. Grounded on the theory of linguistic relativity and semantic fields, the methods of this paper analyzed 131 unique English lyrics from about 5,000 message threads on public online forums and news websites using content analysis. Data mining was used to verify the content analysis, which was done through intercoder validation. It was found that mondegreens caused the lyrics to either be semantically anomalous or semantically sound, albeit with changes in meaning. Six processes were identified for the semantically anomalous changes, while seven were identified for the semantically sound changes. Even more, the major implication this has on the understanding of Filipinos is that no matter what genre/ semantic field the songs belong to, they most likely would be shifted to the field of humor or comedy. Despite this tendency for humor shifting, this shows language indigenization and enrichment and reflects the positive Filipino spirit.
References
Abdurrahman, I., & Aburrahman, R. (2012) A phonological study of mondegreens in English. Tikrit University Journal for Humanities, 19(1), 1-24.
Aronson, J. (2009). When I use a word... words misheard: Medical mondegreens. Q J Med, 102(1) 301–302. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcp002
Barnet, S., Burto, W., & Cain, W. (2008). An introduction to literature: Fiction, poetry and drama. Pearson.
Beck, C., Kardatzki, B., & Ethofe, T. (2014). Mondegreens and soramimi as a method to induce misperceptions of speech content – influence of familiarity, wittiness, and language competence. Plos One, 9(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0084667
Bhatia, T., & Ritchie, W. (2006). The handbook of bilingualism. Blackwell Publishing.
Bigler, R., Tomasetto, C., & McKenney, S. (2019). Sexualization and youth: Concepts, theories, and models. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(6), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025419870611
Brons, L. (2015) Othering, an analysis. Transcience: A Journal of Global Studies, 6(1), 69-90. https://tinyurl.com/mr43dee7
Chapman, S. (2011). Pragmatics. Palgrave Macmillan. Council on Foreign Relations. (2023, September 18). What is ASEAN? CFR Homepage. https://tinyurl.com/ywr6a2v4
Crystal, D. (2008). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics. Blackwell Publishing.
Esquivel, O. J. (June 2019) Exploring the Filipinization of the English language in a digital age: An identity apart from other world Englishes. Journal of English as an International Language, 14(1), 58-72. https://tinyurl.com/mb4csnm4
FTTM. (2017, July 18). We asked our subscribers the lyrics they’ve humorously misheard on OPM Songs through our #FTTMAsks and we collected the best/top [Image attached]. Facebook. https://tinyurl.com/ykw8hm8t
Fromkin, V., Rodman, R., & Hyams, N. (2011). An introduction to language. Wadsworth.
Hafiz, M. S., Omar, A. A., & Gul Sher, K. R. M. (2018). Analysis of syntactic errors in English writing: A case study of Jazan University preparatory year students. Journal of Education and Practice, 9(11), 113-120. https://tinyurl.com/38zdwunc
Huddleston, R., & Pullum, G. (2005). A student’s introduction to English grammar. Cambridge University Press.
Johnson, G., & Arp, T. (2018). Perrine’s literature: Structure, sound, & sense. Cengage Learning.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Conceptual metaphor in everyday language. The Journal of Philosophy, 77(8), 453-486. https://doi.org/10.2307/2025464
Mays, K. (2018). The Norton introduction to literature. Norton & Company.
Onyema, E., Deborah, E., Alsayed, A., Naveed, Q., & Sanober, S. (2019). Online discussion forum as a tool for interactive learning and communication. International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering, 8(1), 4852-4859. https://doi.org/10.35940/ijrte.D8062.118419
Osorio, B. (2009, August 11). So here’s what really makes Filipino happy. Philstar. https://tinyurl.com/2h9tc3hh
Panke, D. (2018). Research design and method selection. Sage Pub.
Pino, M. C., Giancola, M., & D’Amico, S. (2023). The association between music and language in children: A state-of-the-art review. Children, 10(5), 801. https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050801
Ramageri, B. (2010). Data mining techniques and applications. Indian Journal of Computer Science and Engineering, 1(40), 301-305. https://tinyurl.com/y37py2a4
Scherling, J., Kornder, L., & Kelly, N. (2022). Perception and reinterpretation of English song lyrics by native speakers of Japanese: A case study of samples from the TV-show Soramimi-Hour. Frontiers in Communication, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.3389/fcomm.2022.780279
Schneider, E. (2011). English around the world: An introduction. Cambridge University Press.
Smith, G. (April 2023). Music and mondegreens: Extracting meaning from noise. ELT Journal, 57(2), 113–121. https://doi.org/10.1093/elt/57.2.113
Team Manila Lifestyle. (2013). Tm hit list: Misheard lyrics. Team Manila Lifestyle Official Page. https://tinyurl.com/3uw9hzxc
Thomas, J. (1995). Meaning in interaction: An introduction to pragmatics. Routledge.
Titon, J. T., Cooley, T., Locke, D., McAllester, D., & Rasmussen, A. (2009). Worlds of music: An introduction to the music of the world’s peoples. Cengage Learning.
Van Valin, R. (2004). An introduction to syntax. Cambridge University Press.
Vermeer, S., Trilling, D., Kruikemeier, S., & de Vreese, C. (2020). Online news user journeys: The role of social media, news websites, and topics. Digital Journalism, 8(9), 1114-1141. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2020.1767509
Warren, C. , Barsky, A., & McGraw, P. (2020). What makes things funny? An integrative review of the antecedents of laughter and amusement. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 25(1), 41-65. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868320961909
Wilding, D., Fray, P., Molitorisz, S., & McKewon, E. (2018). The impact of digital platforms on news and journalistic content. NSW Pub.
Yilmazyildiz, S., Latacz, L., Mattheyses, W., & Verhelst, W. (2010). Expressive gibberish speech synthesis for affective human-computer interaction. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 6231(1), 584-590. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15760-8_74
Yule, G. (2010). The study of language. Cambridge University Press.