Essay Writing
By
Lintang Puspitasari
(Nov,2015)
Culture And
Language Being Reflected in Lyrics
Culture has direct effects on language
while language is vital in understanding culture’s perspectives. Language is an
expression of who we are as individuals, communities and nations. Meanwhile, culture
refers to dynamic social systems and shared patterns of behavior, beliefs,
knowledge, attitudes and values. One of language products is lyrics. Lyrics are
words that make up a song usually consisting of verses and choruses. However, comprehending lyrics as a language and
culture phenomenon will be more difficult than comprehending the common-used
language as in Justin Bieber’s song lyrics. If a deeper level of attention is
paid into his lyrics, listeners could have the possibility of seeing his
culture from the language he uses in his lyrics. That is to be stated, language
used by lyricists can lead listeners to see the culture on the lyricists or the
singers. Furthermore, the writer here would like to analyze Justin Bieber’s
lyrics on how the lyrics used in his songs reflect his culture and affect the
psychology and economy at the same time.
Justin Bieber is a Canadian singer and
song-writer who has gone worldwide ever since 2009. He started his career at a very young age, 15,
and henceforth there are so much changes on his musical pattern and
personality. In the world music industry, he has put eight albums. Five of his
albums made him crowned as the first artist who ever released 5 number one
albums before the age of 19. It is easy to see how the lyrics of his songs of
all his albums have always used the language that is very close to teenagers,
slang. Slang is words regarded as very informal mostly used by teenagers. Not
only that, the language used in his lyrics also give the idea of where he comes
from, not to mention the culture he brings with him with the language.
In fact, 4 of Bieber’s number one albums were released when he was 15-17
years of age. Based on psychological point of view, the age of 15-17 is considered as a stage where one
would always love to follow what is currently up, the trends. That explains on
why he had used the slang words for those four albums even until now that he is
21, he still uses the words. The only difference is he knows better not to use
it too much now. Using slang words is one of those acts in following the trend
for teenagers. The use of slang words could be found effortlessly in his songs,
One Time, Baby, Mistletoe, Boyfriend to name them out of the many songs
he has. In Bieber’s Boyfriend & Mistletoe lyrics constantly
used the words “Imma” and “ain’t” while in his Boyfriend & Mistletoe lyrics, “Shawty”
and “Swag” are used even way too many times. This just goes to show that he has brought out the behavioral
culture of teenagers in using language. Besides, commercially, the use of the
slang words which is very close and familiar to teenagers would be a good
propaganda from his management to raise his fame fastly. This, of course, would
work since teenagers would most likely find themselves easily like him for his
songs can easily relate to them. That is, not only that he got his fame but
also the shower of dollars. On the other hand, his lyrics and how he sings the
lyrics to the songs also reflect where he comes from. The use of slang in his
lyrics and how he sounds towards the words he sings where listeners can sense
his accent too, all those stuff reflect about where he comes from. The slang
words shows the freedom of using language informally, this reflects in no other
continents but America, while his accent in singing his lyrics sounds like
American, yet he also sounds like British. Meanwhile, one of the big most
famous countries that is actually known to have a freedom in speaking and is
also known to sound like an American yet a British also is none but Canada. Therefore, this can
lead to a conclusion that Justin Bieber comes from Canada. As in the linguist (Boberg,2000)
concluded that “the English spoken in Canada is most closely related to the
variety recognized around the world as ‘General American’.” While as in what an
American writer and feminist (Mae,1970) has ever stated that “language is the
road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they
are going”. Surely, the language used in
Bieber’s lyrics do the job pretty well in telling the listeners about where he
comes from, also, the culture he has brought with him.
It is obvious now that the effects of Bieber’s culture are found from the
language used in his lyrics. From that, the listeners could know about his
culture and how it affects his language. However, he has been growing up for
the past years and as he is growing up, he would embrace himself with some
completely new stuff. That is exactly what happens with the young superstar.
African-American people have surrounded his life, those African-Americans are
huge stars from an established actor like, Will Smith, to an established
R&B singer, Drake. Apparently, the effects of having in touch with all
those African-American pals of his have been making its way out into the
surface on Bieber musically and personally. It reflects on his lyrics and how
he sounds, even, his appearance. He has
been growing up so he has been maturing too. Now he is 21, and his lyrics can
also show his maturity by pouring what is in heart without sounding like
begging or being pitied to. Because as for the record, almost in all songs sang
by teenagers would sound like begging for love or being pitied to because of
that, love. Not only that, but also the fact that the lyrics do not have as many slang
as they used to with its less use
of slang. Along with this all, a new sound of Bieber, from his lyrics and how
he sounds in it, is different from Bieber in the past when he was a teenager.
As a proof can be found on his 8th album, Journals, and his latest
songs, Where Are You Now, What Do You
Mean, Sorry, and I’ll Show You.
Indeed, there are lesser of slang words there but a new sound exists in his
lyrics. Even from his transitional album, 6th album, Believe, the
new sound has been there already, as in his song entitled with She Don’t Like The Lights. Even from the
title can already be seen how he dismissed the grammatical rule for that title
and this can also be seen in his lyrics “that’s right, I think she foreign” for
Confident. This act of dismissing the
grammatical rules is something white people would not do on purpose
continuously. Even his style would look like those African-Americans at times
just like when he attended the Billboard Award 2013, he wore all back with
big-sized clothes and long gold chains around his neck. That is to say, the
only source of Bieber would do such a thing lies on those African-American pals
of his that he is constantly in touch with. This new sound in Bieber’s lyrics
is called black English. In fact, black English used by bi-dialectal
middle-class African Americans is indeed the language does not necessarily
feature correct grammatical rules as in British/American standard English.
Psychologically, the change makes differences on Bieber musically and
personally in which it is reflected in his language or lyrics for this matter.
This makes him see things differently now that he knows other culture. Along
with that, listeners could also see him just as different. The new sound of him
maturely and a little like those African-Americans’ have brought him into
another whole level. He broadens his grasp of his music’s listeners which
practically means not only that he still can have younger fans but also adult
ones, pure American but also African-American fans. In other words, from the
commercial point of view would look at this case as another whole new level of
dollars shower.
To sum it up from the analysis of the then and now Justin Bieber’s lyrics,
can be learned that culture and language are indeed inseparable. That Bieber’s
change of direction in his lyrics or his music is the effects of the culture he
has embraced while he is growing up that it automatically reflects in his
language. That is to say, the writer strongly believes that language and
culture cannot be separated for language is a tool used to explore and
experience our cultures and the perspectives that are embedded in our cultures.
Because when the discussion about culture and language come into place then it
would most likely like talking about a house and its key. That is, if culture
was a house, then language was the key to the front door, to all the rooms
inside.
References
S/O to my
“Semantics” lecturer who gave me some words about this writing. If its not for
her, I wouldn’t simplify anything I wrote in this. And, to my “Writing”
lecturer who has been teaching my class how to rule an essay writing :D
NB : This
was actually for an essay writing competition but since the topic given to me
on the spot was nothing about this so think I’ll just post it on here :D :p
No comments:
Post a Comment