Introduction

Speech sound culture is understood as a complex system of phonetic, auditory, and prosodic competencies that ensure both accurate perception and intelligible production of foreign language speech. It includes mastery of segmental features (vowels and consonants), suprasegmental features (stress, rhythm, and intonation), as well as the ability to decode meaning embedded in phonetic cues during real-time communication [1]. However, learners whose native language differs significantly from English often struggle with the English stress-timed rhythm, vowel reduction in unstressed syllables, consonant cluster articulation, and dynamic intonation contours. These challenges negatively affect listening comprehension, pronunciation accuracy, and ultimately global intelligibility — a key communicative objective in English as an International Language (EIL) context [2].

Traditional phonetic training has primarily relied on mechanical drilling, minimal pair analysis, and rule-based articulation correction. While such methods may improve isolated sound production, they insufficiently support perceptual flexibility and do not sustain learner engagement over extended periods of study [3]. Moreover, traditional models frequently fail to represent contemporary spoken English, where reductions, linking, and informal lexical choices dominate everyday communication.

Simultaneously, English today is acquired not only from educational materials but also through global media ecosystems: music streaming platforms, social networks, fan communities, and algorithm-driven recommendation systems [4]. English-language music plays a particularly influential role in shaping phonological expectations, accent preferences, and exposure to authentic pronunciation patterns, including colloquial features such as contractions, creative prosody, and genre-specific intonational styles [5]. Students engage with these media voluntarily and consistently, yet this exposure remains pedagogically underutilized in many formal learning environments.

Leveraging students’ natural participation in media consumption transforms English music from mere entertainment into an implicit phonetic training environment, where speech sound culture is developed through emotional resonance, repetition, and unconscious auditory learning processes [6]. This shift reflects broader trends in applied linguistics that emphasize ecological and experiential approaches, viewing pronunciation acquisition as inseparable from the social and cultural context in which language is encountered [7].

Furthermore, recent work by the author demonstrated that structured exposure to English-language music can positively influence students’ ability to perceive phonetic details and engage more deeply with authentic speech models [8]. While that earlier study focused primarily on the general role of musical interventions in supporting foreign language acquisition, the present research expands this line of inquiry by examining how music-based immersion specifically contributes to the development of speech sound culture among university learners. This continuity allows for a more detailed interpretation of how auditory, motivational, and prosodic factors converge within a media-based learning environment.

Review of Literature

The relationship between music and linguistic processing has long been explored across neurolinguistics, cognitive psychology, and applied linguistics. Foundational studies demonstrate that musical rhythm and speech rhythm rely on overlapping perceptual and neural mechanisms, suggesting that musical experience can facilitate phonological awareness and prosodic sensitivity in second language learning [1], [4]. Patel’s work highlights that rhythmic entrainment—the cognitive ability to synchronize with musical beat—supports learners’ capacity to track stress patterns and temporal organization in speech, which is essential for the development of speech sound culture.

Research focusing specifically on populations with speech and language difficulties provides additional evidence. Cumming et al. showed that children with specific language impairments struggle with rhythm perception both in speech and in music, indicating shared cognitive resources for processing temporal patterns across modalities [2]. These findings reinforce the argument that structured exposure to music may strengthen auditory discrimination and improve learners’ ability to interpret reduced forms, vowel reduction patterns, and intonation contours.

In the field of language pedagogy, scholars have examined music as a tool for fostering motivation, listening comprehension, and pronunciation skills. Sevik demonstrated that songs enhance learners’ engagement and support the acquisition of suprasegmental features such as intonation, rhythm, and connected speech [6]. Richards and Rodgers discuss the limitations of purely mechanical phonetic drills and emphasize the need for communicative, experiential approaches that incorporate authentic language input [3]. Music, through its emotional significance and cultural relevance, aligns with these pedagogical principles by offering naturalistic exposure to contemporary spoken English.

More recent research also explores innovative integrations of music within broader methodological frameworks. Torras-Vila proposes CLIL-based instructional models in which music is used not only for linguistic training but also for building intercultural competence and multimodal literacy [7]. Such approaches suggest that music can create rich, meaningful learning contexts where phonological, lexical, and cultural elements co-occur, thereby supporting holistic language development.

In addition, emerging research increasingly highlights the role of music in supporting pronunciation-focused learning. A previous study by the author found that musical interventions enhanced learners’ sensitivity to prosodic patterns and increased their motivation to interact with English beyond classroom settings, suggesting a promising foundation for integrating music into phonetic instruction [8].

These findings align with broader evidence that authentic musical input stimulates prosodic awareness and facilitates the internalization of rhythm and intonation patterns crucial for speech sound culture development [1], [4], [6].

Collectively, the literature indicates that music is a promising medium for enhancing speech sound culture through improved prosodic awareness, increased motivation, and authentic exposure to spoken English norms. These insights provide the theoretical foundation for the music-based immersion approach presented in this study.

Research Gap

Despite growing interest in the relationship between musical training and linguistic development, several gaps remain in the current body of research. First, the majority of existing studies focus on early childhood or primary education, while considerably fewer explore the effectiveness of music-based approaches in higher education contexts, particularly among adult and near-adult learners. Second, many studies investigate isolated aspects of phonological development—such as rhythm perception or vocabulary retention—yet relatively little attention is devoted to the formation of speech sound culture as an integrated system encompassing auditory discrimination, prosody, articulation, and phonological intuition. Third, while scholars acknowledge the motivational benefits of music, fewer works provide systematic descriptions of how music-based immersion can be operationalized within structured pronunciation instruction in university classrooms. Moreover, limited research examines the role of learner autonomy and personal musical preferences in shaping phonetic outcomes. These gaps highlight the need for empirical and context-sensitive investigations, such as the present study, which aims to explore how English-language music can support the development of speech sound culture among B1-level university students.

Theoretical Foundations of Music-Based Immersion

The theoretical foundations of the music-based immersion approach are rooted in cognitive, auditory, and affective dimensions of second language acquisition. Research in neurolinguistics demonstrates that music and speech share overlapping neural pathways responsible for processing rhythm, pitch, and temporal patterns. This overlap facilitates the development of auditory chunking, the cognitive mechanism through which learners’ segment continuous speech into meaningful units. Because music is highly structured, predictable, and repetitive, it supports the consolidation of prosodic patterns and promotes recognition of stress, intonation, and rhythmic timing [1], [4].

Another important mechanism involved in musical language learning is the earworm effect, or involuntary mental rehearsal of melodic and linguistic material. When learners repeatedly “hear” lyrics internally, they subconsciously practice phonetic features, including vowel reduction, connected speech, and micro-intonational contours. This phenomenon aligns with theories of implicit phonological learning, which propose that repeated auditory exposure enables learners to internalize phonetic norms without explicit instruction.

Emotional engagement also plays a significant role. Music activates affective pathways that enhance attention, memory encoding, and retention of linguistic material. Learners typically demonstrate stronger recall for language embedded in emotionally salient contexts, and music naturally amplifies emotional experience, creating ideal conditions for deep phonetic encoding. Furthermore, rhythmic synchronization—the tendency to align bodily movement or articulation with musical beat—can reinforce the motor aspects of pronunciation, supporting the development of stable articulatory patterns.

From a pedagogical perspective, these theoretical components indicate that music provides a multisensory, cognitively enriched environment in which learners can absorb phonological features through repeated exposure, imitation, and emotional resonance. Such an environment contrasts sharply with traditional pronunciation drills, which often lack ecological validity and fail to represent the dynamic prosody of real English speech. The music-based immersion approach therefore aligns with contemporary models of language acquisition that emphasize authenticity, variability, and embodied cognition [3], [6], [7].

Contemporary Music-Based Immersion Approach

The proposed music-based immersion approach shifts the focus from teacher-controlled, drill-style phonetic exercises to student-centered experiential learning grounded in contemporary linguistic realities. Rather than artificially practicing rhythms or clapping stress patterns — techniques rooted in outdated audiolingual pedagogy — learners are encouraged to interact with authentic digital media environments, developing pronunciation through active listening, imitation, and perceptual discovery. This aligns with modern psycholinguistic perspectives that emphasize implicit phonological acquisition, where the brain unconsciously internalizes sound patterns from rich auditory input rather than from rule memorization [7].

This approach operationalizes three interdependent stages:

1. Discover — noticing phonetic and lexical features in authentic music
2. Learners are continuously exposed to English from diverse genres via Spotify, YouTube Music, TikTok, Shazam, etc. They observe real-life pronunciation characteristics including «schwa» reduction, glottal stops, consonant cluster simplification, connected-speech processes, and genre-specific accents. These discoveries are emotionally grounded, because students select the music they genuinely enjoy — resulting in deeper attention and recall.
3. Adapt — understanding and practicing elements of prosody and connected speech
4. Using lyric platforms such as Genius Lyrics, learners decode the semantic and prosodic intentions behind pronunciation choices. They analyze how musicians manipulate rhythm and melody to compress speech units, articulate emotion, establish persona, or construct cultural identity. At this stage, phonetic noticing becomes phonetic attunement — learners adjust their own speech to approximate authentic sound.
5. Practice — integrating newly acquired features into personal speech production
6. The shadow-singing technique enables learners to simulate native-like articulatory gestures: vowel lengthening, pitch modulation, and breath phrasing. Unlike traditional drilling, shadow-singing merges intonation, emotion, and meaning, creating a holistic prosodic experience. Students gradually transfer these features from songs into spontaneous speech — first in controlled classroom tasks, then in everyday interaction.

The teacher’s role evolves into that of a facilitator of informed autonomy. Instead of prescribing fixed materials, instructors guide learners toward accent diversity:

— British pop and grime — exposure to syllable-timed articulation and glottalization

— American hip-hop and R&B — high-speed reduction and vowel neutralization

— Australian indie — distinct intonational rise and regionalisms

Such accent-rich immersion strengthens accent tolerance and global intelligibility — competencies recognized as essential in international English communication.

Ultimately, this approach transforms popular music from a passive background stimulus into a phonetic acquisition ecosystem, where English is perceived as living, dynamic sound, not a system of abstract pronunciation rules. Learning becomes self-regulated, culturally relevant, and neurologically optimized, fulfilling both communicative and academic goals of modern English language education.

Practical Framework for Implementation

The following implementation framework demonstrates how English-language music can be systematically incorporated into higher education language courses to develop speech sound culture through meaningful media immersion.

First, the teacher introduces the idea of unconscious phonetic acquisition through music and encourages students to integrate English listening into their daily routines. Learners set personalized listening goals — for example, 20–30 minutes of preferred English music per day — ensuring consistent exposure to natural pronunciation and vocabulary. Tasks include identifying unfamiliar words, noticing accents, and marking segments that sound particularly difficult to reproduce.

In classroom settings, students share findings from their listening experiences: interesting pronunciation examples, idiomatic expressions, slang, or creative rhyme structures. This peer exchange increases awareness of linguistic diversity and stimulates critical listening skills [2].

The shadow-singing method plays a central practical role. Learners listen to selected lines multiple times and then attempt to reproduce not only the words but also the rhythm, melody, stress, and connected-speech features. The aim is not singing skill, but approximation of authentic prosody and perceptual accuracy.

In addition, learners use lyric platforms to analyze pronunciation units. Since lyrics often contain contracted forms — gonna, wanna, ain’t — they serve as real examples of phonological reduction that is rarely covered in traditional textbooks [5]. Students mark where linking, assimilation, and dropped consonants occur, building awareness of real-life speech mechanics.

To consolidate results, short pronunciation reflections are encouraged: students record themselves repeating lines and compare their speech to the original. Over time, they become more confident in identifying and correcting deviations autonomously — a key element of phonological intuition development.

Table 1

Contemporary Music-Based Immersion Activities for Speech Sound Culture Development

As shown in Table 1, immersion techniques simultaneously develop perception, articulation, cultural literacy, and learner autonomy — dimensions that traditional phonetic drills rarely combine.

Experimental Observations from Classroom Practice

To evaluate the practical effectiveness of the music-based immersion approach, a small-scale exploratory intervention was carried out with two first-year bachelor groups at Astana International University. The total sample included 50 students (25 in each group, both B1 level of English proficiency with minor differences in phonetic competence). Students used English-language music intentionally during a 4-week period while applying elements of the Discover–Adapt–Practice model.

At the end of the intervention, students completed reflective questionnaires and provided short oral feedback. The primary learning outcomes reported by learners are summarized below.

Table 2

Student Perceptions of Music-Based Phonetic Learning (n = 50)

Most students demonstrated measurable improvement in auditory discrimination, prosodic perception, and confidence in identifying authentic pronunciation patterns — in line with existing evidence on the cognitive overlap between musical rhythm and speech processing [2], [4]. Learners who regularly engaged with the activities found that English sounded “clearer and more predictable” over time.

However, the study also highlighted individual variation. A group of students indicated that musical input does not align with their learning preferences, as they retain information better through visual text-based processing or interactive communication. This confirms the importance of learning style differences and the necessity of maintaining methodological plurality in pronunciation teaching [3], [7].

Overall, the findings suggest that music-based immersion should not be seen as a standalone method. Rather, the optimal pedagogical strategy integrates both traditional pronunciation instruction and innovative auditory immersion, providing a balanced and motivational learning environment. The teacher’s task is to introduce music responsibly, adjusting intensity and modality based on learner engagement and course objectives, to ensure sustained development of speech sound culture.

Limitations of the Study

Although the findings of this exploratory intervention provide meaningful insights into the use of English-language music for developing speech sound culture, several limitations must be acknowledged. First, the study involved a relatively small sample of fifty first-year students from a single institution, which limits the generalizability of the results. Second, the data relied primarily on self-reported perceptions and observational notes; no acoustic measurements or objective phonetic assessments (e.g., spectrogram analysis or controlled listening tests) were employed, making it difficult to quantify the precise extent of phonetic improvement. Third, individual variation in musical preference and learning styles played a notable role: learners who do not engage with music regularly or who prefer visual modalities did not demonstrate the same level of benefit. Finally, the short duration of the intervention restricted long-term analysis. Future studies should incorporate mixed-method assessment tools and larger, more diverse participant groups to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the pedagogical impact of music-based immersion [3], [7], [8].

Pedagogical Implications

The results of this study emphasize that English-language music can serve as a valuable complementary tool in pronunciation instruction, offering authentic input and high learner engagement. However, effective implementation requires thoughtful pedagogical design. Teachers should introduce music strategically, selecting songs that provide clear examples of target phonetic features such as reduced vowels, linking, and intonation patterns, while also considering genre diversity to expose learners to multiple accents and speech styles [1], [5]. It is equally important to align music-based activities with learners’ proficiency levels: slower, lyrically transparent songs may benefit B1 learners, whereas more rhythmically complex genres can be introduced at higher levels.

Additionally, instructors must recognize that music-based immersion is not universally effective for all students. For learners with strong visual learning preferences or low interest in music, music should be integrated as an optional support rather than a central method. The most productive instructional strategy combines traditional pronunciation techniques —explicit phonetic explanation, articulatory practice, and targeted exercises—with music-based exposure , enabling learners to internalize phonetic patterns both analytically and intuitively. This balanced approach supports the development of speech sound culture more effectively than either method alone and allows teachers to adapt activities to specific classroom contexts and learner needs [3], [6], [8].

Recommendations for Future Classroom Integration

Based on the findings of this study and the theoretical insights discussed above, several recommendations can be proposed for integrating English-language music into pronunciation instruction in higher education settings. First, teachers should adopt a scaffolded approach that gradually increases the phonetic complexity of musical input. For B1 learners, songs with slower tempo, clear articulation, and limited vocal layering are appropriate starting points, while more rhythmically complex genres and faster speech patterns may be introduced at later stages. Carefully curating playlists aligned with specific phonetic targets—such as vowel reduction, linking, or intonation patterns—can help instructors maintain pedagogical focus and avoid random song selection.

Second, it is advisable to incorporate task-based activities that operationalize the Discover–Adapt–Practice model. Teachers can design micro-tasks such as identifying reduced forms, marking stress patterns in lyrics, or imitating short prosodic segments. These tasks encourage learners to observe phonetic features actively rather than listening passively, thereby strengthening perceptual and articulatory control [3], [6]. Additionally, short reflective logs or voice recordings can be used to track learners’ progress and support autonomous phonetic monitoring.

Third, instructors should allow for learner choice, which is crucial for maintaining motivation and emotional engagement. Allowing students to select songs from genres they personally value increases the likelihood of repeated exposure and enhances the emotional resonance that supports phonological retention [1], [4]. At the same time, teachers can introduce curated selections representing diverse dialects—American, British, Australian, and others—to broaden learners’ accent perception in controlled ways.

Fourth, music should be integrated alongside traditional pronunciation instruction, rather than replacing it. Explicit teaching of articulatory mechanics, minimal pairs, and suprasegmental rules remains essential for learners who require analytical explanations or whose learning styles rely on visual and structured input [3], [7]. Combining explicit instruction with music-based immersion offers a balanced pedagogical environment that addresses both intuitive and analytical processing of speech sounds.

Finally, instructors should remain attentive to individual learner differences. Not all students benefit equally from musical input, and some may respond better to visual or text-based approaches. Therefore, music should be presented as one component of a flexible, multimodal pronunciation curriculum rather than a universal method. Integrating music in ways that respect learner autonomy and preference ensures that instruction remains inclusive, motivating, and adaptable to diverse educational contexts. These recommendations provide a practical foundation for educators seeking to apply the music-based immersion approach systematically and effectively in future classroom environments.

Conclusion

English-language music functions as a powerful mediating tool for the formation of students’ speech sound culture, transforming listening from a passive activity into a cognitively and emotionally meaningful process. Through repeated exposure to authentic input, learners gradually improve phonological awareness, rhythm perception, and sensitivity to prosodic cues. The incorporation of music-based shadowing and independent media practice further facilitates the development of accurate phonetic production, strengthening both articulation and auditory self-monitoring skills. In addition, this approach naturally promotes lexical enrichment, especially in relation to contemporary vocabulary, slang, and reduced speech forms commonly found in real communication [3], [6].

Results from a small-scale intervention at Astana International University reinforce findings from previous work: when learners integrate English-language music into their study routine, their engagement with spoken English outside formal lessons increases significantly — a pattern also observed in my earlier study on musical interventions in foreign language acquisition [8]. Many participants reported enhanced confidence in parsing native-like speech, better perception of connected speech, and increased awareness of rhythm and intonation patterns. At the same time, a minority preferred conventional visual or textual learning modes, underscoring that musical immersion is not universally optimal but should serve as a complementary component of a broader, multimodal pedagogical strategy.

These observations reinforce the trajectory established in the author’s previous research, which demonstrated that musical interventions contribute not only to motivation but also to measurable improvements in learners’ phonetic perception [8], further supporting the argument that music-based immersion represents a meaningful pedagogical pathway for developing speech sound culture.

Therefore, the music-based immersion approach enables students to internalize English pronunciation and prosodic norms intuitively, rather than relying solely on explicit rule memorization. Its pedagogical effectiveness is maximized when combined with traditional pronunciation instruction and adapted to individual learners’ preferences. Future research should expand the sample size and duration of exposure, employ objective phonetic assessments, and explore how different genres, media platforms, and scaffolding techniques influence outcomes across proficiency levels. In sum, music represents a promising, culturally relevant medium for fostering speech sound culture in higher education — bridging classroom instruction and real-life language use.

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