Song analysis by applying the concepts of the core areas in linguistics (phonetics/phonology,
morphology, and syntax) to a song.
Guidelines:
1. Pick a song that you enjoy, that is somehow meaningful to you, and that you would like
to analyze. Ideally the singer/s is/are American because the phonetic symbols you learn in
this class correspond to Standard American English and, vowels in particular, are very
different from other English varieties like British.
2. Your paper will include (at least) three sections, one for each core area; note that
phonetics and phonology are combined into one section. Within each section you will
apply some of the concepts we have discussed and learned to language samples taken
from the song. Structurally, your paper should also have an introduction that clearly
explains the purpose and content of the paper and provides a road map of what is next.
There should be a conclusion as well.
3. Below are some of the concepts you may incorporate to give you some idea, but you can
and should expand on these. What matters is that you apply the concept and support
your decisions and thought processing.