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NotAProghead 
Special Collaborator
Errors & Omissions Team
Joined: October 22 2005
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 Topic: A poll for non-native English speakers
Posted: February 21 2009 at 19:52 |
Please, vote only if English is not your first language!
Imagine, you are listening to some album in English. - Lyrics are neither primitive nor extremely complex. - They are not intentionally adsurd. - Lyrics can contain idioms, references to some historical events and persons etc. - Singer has good pronouncation and sings in what we call more or less common English (no exotic dialects).
Do you understand lyrical contents when you are listening to songs or you need '"helpers"?
Answers like "I'm listening to music and don't care about lyrics are not accepted"!
Edited by NotAProghead - February 21 2009 at 20:19
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Raff
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Joined: July 29 2005
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Posted: February 21 2009 at 19:59 |
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First option for me. I only have trouble understanding lyrics in English when the singer has a distinctive vocal style (e.g. death growls) which makes understanding hard even for native speakers.
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NotAProghead
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Joined: October 22 2005
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Posted: February 21 2009 at 20:05 |
Raff, I just thought: "Who, the hell, is so brave to vote that understands everything". I see it's you, so no questions. 
I pointed out in the post that "Singer has good pronouncation", though growling and "eating" words are not our case.
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Slartibartfast
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Joined: April 29 2006
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Posted: February 21 2009 at 20:21 |
I won't vote in your poll for obvious reasons but I am curious to see how it turns out. I know little of other languages in terms of speaking or reading or even writing that I understand, yet can speak a little, writing, forgettaboutit .  English is often a sponge for words in other languages sometimes as well as a producer. I think the way this works so well is that English originated from many older languages in the first place...
Edited by Slartibartfast - February 21 2009 at 20:33
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Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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NotAProghead
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Joined: October 22 2005
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Posted: February 21 2009 at 20:35 |
I'm curious about results too.
I chose the option "I need lyrics and sometimes a dictionary", but it's often so hard to understand which meanings of familiar words are right in every particular case. For example only the verb "to get" (bitter tongues say it will replace all other verbs in English soon ) can bring you lots of headache. Another difficult thing is phrases that are common in English-speaking countries, but missing in dictionaries.
Edited by NotAProghead - February 21 2009 at 20:37
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Who are you and who am I to say we know the reason why... (D. Gilmour)
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Atkingani
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Posted: February 21 2009 at 20:40 |
 NotAProghead wrote:
I'm curious about results too.
I chose the option "I need lyrics and sometimes a dictionary", but it's often so hard to understand which meanings of familiar words are right in every particular case.
For example only the verb "to get" (bitter tongues say it will replace all other verbs in English soon ) can bring you lots of headache. Another difficult thing is phrases that are common in English-speaking countries, but missing in dictionaries. |
I'll follow you... 
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Guigo
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Pekka
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Joined: August 03 2006
Location: Espoo, Finland
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 02:42 |
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When I really pay attention to the lyrics I usually understand most of
it. If not just by listening then with the lyrics sheet. Of course
there are lots of words I don't know yet, but usually in such cases I
get the big picture. Maybe not with bands like Bad Religion using lots
of political jargon.
But I dare say I'm better than the average Finnish Joe in English, I always got the highest grades without much trying. God bless subtitled TV series and movies, they really teach you a lot.
Edited by Keppa4v - February 22 2009 at 02:45
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Mr ProgFreak
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Joined: November 08 2008
Location: Sweden
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Points: 5195
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 02:48 |
I think I understand most of it ... depending on the situation. For some songs even the native speakers need assistance.
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easytargets
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Joined: November 12 2008
Location: Cantabria
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 03:11 |
I think I need dictionary from time to time and if lyrics
are very complex I prefer to listen to their melody prior
to their meaning.
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The water rushes over all
cities crash in the mighty wave;
the final man is very small,
plunging in for his final bathe
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Diaby
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Joined: October 15 2007
Location: Hungary
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 03:26 |
I went with the fourth one. I find it very funny, when I start listening to a song, I hardly understand anything, then I take a lyrics sheet, learn the text and after that everything become so obvious 
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yeah
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BaldJean
Prog Reviewer
Joined: May 28 2005
Location: Germany
Status: Offline
Points: 10387
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 06:37 |
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I am a native speaker of English, but I must say that I often don't understand everything that is sung in that language. it depends a lot on the artist and the mix. had I not read the lyrics of "Ship of Fools" by VdGG from their live album "Vital", for example, I would have understood only half of it. the line "they offer kisses like piranhas to the soft flesh of your feet", for example, sounded like "the abacus is like a runner at the soft end of the street". yeah, I know, makes no sense, but that's what I heard. some singers have the habit of slurring consonants, some are mixed too much in the background. Friede has the same problem with German bands. she says that, for example, she hardly understands a word of the song "Henriette Krötenschwanz" from the first album of Amon Düül 2.
the English language, by the way, has so many words that I am quite certain every native speaker will need a dictionary from time to time, whether reading a book or listening to lyrics. I know I do, and I read a lot and certainly know a lot of words. but I would like to see anyone who is able to read James Joyce's "Ulysses" without a dictionary. in fact Joyce used a dictionary when he wrote it, or actually several ones, not only an English one. the English language has about double as many words as the German one. this has historic reasons; due to the 1066 invasion many French words entered the English language. the German language makes up for it with its ability to create compound words
Edited by BaldJean - February 22 2009 at 06:48
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 A shot of me as High Priestess of Gaia during our fall festival. Ceterum censeo principiis obsta
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aapatsos
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Joined: November 11 2005
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 06:41 |
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Most of the times I understand the general meaning, I might miss a few words...
To fully understand the lyrics, I suppose I need a lyric sheet
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June
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 07:05 |
I'm comfortable saying I understand everything.
I don't listen to much music that involves death growl anyway.
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Tuzvihar
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 08:04 |
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If I've got the lyric sheet I can understand almost everything. And if I once listened to a song with its lyric sheet before me I usually don't need it anymore (the lyric sheet that is). Second option for me then.
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"Music is much like f**king, but some composers can't climax and others climax too often, leaving themselves and the listener jaded and spent."
Charles Bukowski
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JayDee
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Joined: September 07 2005
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 08:11 |
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I understand almost everything, that is clearly sung in English.
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Ricochet
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Joined: February 27 2005
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 08:14 |
I'm far from understanding the lyrics entirely, sometimes I follow the music more than the lyrics. I think the only album where I know the lyrics almost by heart is Aphrodite's Child 666, because I devoured it so much over the years. I can add to that some classic prog songs, but that's about it. I don't use the lyrics sheets much, except I get them in the booklet, which makes it an entertaining listen. Bands like Rush have easy lyrics, meanwhile I don't even bother with Mars Volta.
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someone_else
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Joined: May 02 2008
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 13:24 |
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A lyric sheet would be welcome in most cases. But this may be the case because my ears are stuffed.
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The T
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Joined: October 16 2006
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 18:04 |
I understand about 85% without lyric sheet, but some singers are easier to understand and we can up that to 95% or even 96.7%.
Of course, I'm not including black or death metal albums here... If anyone can understand more than 1.76 % of what Cannibal Corpse is singing about, please... I'll take whatever you're taking... 
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memowakeman
Special Collaborator
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Joined: May 19 2005
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Posted: February 22 2009 at 23:20 |
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though i have i improved my english, sometimes it's still difficult to understand some songs and iit's lyrics, i would choose option number 5, though i use to read the lyric sheet actually
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Follow me on twitter @memowakeman
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harmonium.ro
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Posted: February 23 2009 at 01:33 |
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I need the lyric sheet in order to understand 100% - but then I rarely feel the need to.
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A poll for non-native English speakers
