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Impiegato
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Message 97 of 98

27 March 2010 at 3:05pm | IP Logged

cordelia0507 wrote:

Impiegato wrote:

ManicGenius and ellasevia:

Anyway, we have to figure out why it is so common to sing in English in the contest. Is it because English is a prestigious and useful language, because the singer wants to create a hit, because English is understood by almost everyone in Europe or because English is particularly beautiful or convenient to use in music?

Is it because English is a prestigious and useful language
-- is it? Perhaps, Peoples view on that would vary.

because the singer wants to create a hit
-- That has probably a lot to do with it, I think.

because English is understood by almost everyone in Europe
-- That's certainly not true on my experience. Only for certain countries and certain groups of society.

Plus how "deep" are these songs, really? Do you need to understand every word to appreciate it (assuming you like schlager...) It's usually a love song or a very uncontroversial political message like peace, unity. I respect the countries that refuse to sing in English and never win anymore as a result.

I think a language gains prestige as soon as it becomes useful because of its lingua franca status. Don't you think? Another aspect could be if it is spoken in superior circles like French in the sphere of diplomacy and in international organizations.

Probably, the vast majority of people in Europe understand the kind of English that is present in the lyrics in these kind of songs. However, I agree with you that one cannot assert that almost everyone in Europe is able to express a complicated message in English. It is harder to write something than understand spoken or written English.

I also respect countries represented by singers with lyrics sung in their mother tongue, but what we have to discuss is whether it suffices to participate and have fun or if it is important to win? As a matter of fact, almost no non-English songs win.

Edited by Impiegato on 27 March 2010 at 3:10pm
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Message 98 of 98

27 March 2010 at 10:38pm | IP Logged

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