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“I’m switching instruments when I sing in english": Eivør's prosodic variation in Faroese and L2 english music and speech
“Eg skifti ljóðføri, tá ið eg syngi á enskum”: prosodisk variatión hjá Eivør í føroyskum og L2-enskum tónleiki og talu
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Pdf（https://ojs.setur.fo/index.php/frit/article/download/918/936）
Published Sep 11, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18602/pw9psc32
Eva van Kampen
University of Groningen
https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6355-6601
Steven Gilbers
University of Groningen
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4218-0770
Abstract
Prosodic elements in speech have been found to be reflected in musical compositions (e.g., Gilbers et al., 2020; Patel et al. 2006). However, it remains unclear how this takes shape in multilingual artists. Concretely, if a musician sings in multiple languages, will the music in their first language (L1) and their second language (L2) reflect the rhythms and pitch contours of their L1 and L2 speech, respectively? To answer this question, we conducted a study on the prosody of the speech and singing of Eivør – who sings in her L1 (Faroese) and one of her L2s (English). We hypothesised that she would display distinct prosodic patterns in her L1 and L2 speech, and that similarly distinct patterns would be reflected in her L1 and L2 singing. Support was found for the first hypothesis, as Eivør’s L1 and L2 prosody were significantly different. Nevertheless, for the second hypothesis the results were not conclusive. This study’s findings help us better understand the Faroese prosody and provide new insights in how music relates to speech in multilingual contexts.
Úrtak
Prosodiskir liðir í talu hava víst seg at verða endurspeglaðir í tónlistarligum verkum (t.d. Gilbers o.fl., 2020; Patel o.fl., 2006). Tó er framvegis ógreitt, hvussu hetta kemur til sjóndar hjá fleirmálsligum listafólkum. Nærri ásett: um ein tónleikari syngur á fleiri málum, endurspeglar tónleikurin á fyrsta máli (M1) og øðrum máli (M2) tá ávikavist rytmu og tónahæddarkurva í talu á M1 og M2? Fyri at svara hesum spurningi hava vit gjørt eina kanning av prosodinum í talu og sangi hjá Eivør, sum syngur á bæði sínum fyrsta máli (føroyskum) og øðrum máli (enskum). Vit settu fram ta hypotesu, at hon fór at vísa ymisk prosodisk mynstur í talu á M1 og M2, og at samsvarandi ymisk mynstur eisini fóru at koma til sjóndar í sangi á M1 og M2. Úrslitini stuðla fyrru hypotesuna, tí tann prosodiska skipanin í talu á M1 og M2 var markant ymisk. Hinvegin vóru úrslitini ikki avgerandi viðvíkjandi prosodinum í sangi. Henda kanning gevur betri innlit í føroyska prosodi og nýtt innlit í sambandið millum tónleik og talu í fleirmálsligum samanhangi.
Abstract 129 | Pdf Downloads 170
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Keywords
Faroese linguistics, prosody, language-music connection, multilingualism, cross-linguistic variation, Føroysk málfrøði, prosodi, samband millum mál og tónleik, fleirmæli
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