Methodology

          For my coursework I have decided that the area of interest I would do my coursework on would be how language is used in English lyrics compared to how Koreans may use language to convey a message in their lyrics.  When listening to these songs, I feel that the lyrics of Japanese songs can be about more subjects whereas English lyrics tend to speak more about love.  However, I also predict that Japanese will use more comparisons and metaphors with more meaningful words compared to English lyrics which would use the majority of simple words and sentences. To test this theory I have got the lyrics of every other song on an album called Chapmen Square by Lawson, then got the translated lyrics of every other song on an album called Code Name Blue which is by a Japanese band Cnblue.

The type of data that I have collected is in the form of lyrics. To help keep the results reliable I have researched and found an album from each that was release in a similar time. The English album was released on the 22^nd of October 2012 whereas the Japanese album was released on the 29^th of August 2012. This ensures that they were released in less than a month of each other so it is a more accurate representation of what music was like in these two countries at the same time. Another factor I had tried to keep the same was the genre of the band and the members that are involved. When deciding what bands to choose I tried to find ones with the same amount of members who were the same sex as this could change the type of music that is produced. Equally they have a similar popularity level as this could also change the way in which they would use language and therefore makes the two bands I have chosen comparable as they are very similar in these respects.

            I feel that comparing every other song on each of the albums adds reliability as the time frame is the same and the songs are not chosen at random and are set on each. If I included more albums they would be from different times which could affect the type of lyrics produced as different times could lead to different styles of writing which could disrupt the results I get.  Therefore the data I could get from this particular investigation is limited but still enough to compare how the language is used.

                One problem that I am aware of is the fact that translated lyrics may not be exactly the words used in the songs; however this is the way in which I choose to understand and learn about what is being said. Therefore I feel that the translated lyrics is sufficient enough to use as the meaning and techniques will still be seen in these translations and is the only way in which people who don’t speak Japanese would see the lyrics. Therefore the comparability is still manageable.