Re: [Harp-L] music and perception/Language

["lil Buddha" <ltlbuddha@xxxxxxxxx>]

> As I understand it, anyone who learns a language after the age of 12
> will always have a noticeable and non-native accent.  Henry Kissinger
> speaks English very, very well in terms of grammar and vocabulary, but
> he's still got a German accent in his speech 60 years or so after
> arriving in the USA.
>
> Whether that applies to music, I don't know.  Are music and speech
> controlled by the same part of the brain?
>
> Thanks, Richard Hunter
> hunterharp.com
> latest mp3s always at http://broadjam.com/rhunter
> _______________________________________________
I have a friend who is in his 60's. I have a decent ear for accents and
phrasing and I would have sworn he was born in America. He was not. He
emigrated to the States from Norway when he was 20 and did not speak English
fluently when he arrived. While tonal languages such as Thai, Chinese,
Navajo, etc. are difficult in the extreme for non-native speakers, there are
not impossible to learn properly. Does this apply to music? I have no clue.