Type of song that repeats a word or phrase multiple times
Repetitive songs contain a large proportion of repeated words or phrases. Simple repetitive
songs are common in many cultures as widely spread as the Caribbean,[1] Southern India[2] and Finland.[3] The best-known examples are probably
children's songs. Other repetitive songs are found, for instance, in
African-American culture from the
days of slavery.[4]
Another type of song describes a circular phenomenon (see
Recursion). In "
There's a Hole in My Bucket", the singer-narrator attempts to fix a leaky bucket, only to find out that ultimately one needs to have a functional bucket in order to effect the repair. In "
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", flowers were offered to soldiers, who fell in a war, new flowers grew on their graves, those flowers were given to soldiers and so on.
Children's songs
In children's songs, repetition serves various educational purposes: repetition aids memory,[5] can aid in learning punctuation and reading skills,[6] and is very valuable in learning (foreign) languages.[7]
Work songs
Repetitive songs are also found in traditional
work songs. Examples abound in African-American culture,[8] in political groups,[9] and among traveler, marchers, and walkers.[10] see Slave Songs of the United States.
^Jackson, William (1992). "Features of the Kriti: A Song Form Developed by Tyāgarāja". Asian Music: 19–66.
doi:
10.2307/834449.
JSTOR834449. esp. p. 20-21.
^Rank, Inkeri (1981). "The Foreigner and the Finnish Maiden: A Theme in the Finnish Medieval Ballad". Western Folklore. 40 (4). Western States Folklore Society: 299–314.
doi:
10.2307/1499712.
JSTOR1499712.
^"The use of song is an excellent way to practice Spanish phonetics, and songs can be found using the most troublesome sounds. Repetitive songs using all vowels are good for beginners." Garcia-Saez, Santiago (March 1984).
"The Use of Song in Class as an Important Stimulus in the Learning of a Language". Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Southwest Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages. Colorado Springs. Retrieved 2009-07-15.