Dr. Tim Hoffman

 <ijmusath@po.wind.ne.jp>

Takasaki University, Musashino Academy of Music,  Indo-Japanese Music Exchange Association

Musico-linguistics in India, Japan and beyond - cross-cultural  application of theoretical  constructs and classification systems in language and music

Language utilizes phonemes (sound) and graphemes (script) for reativity and communication, and each language is distinguished by its unique soundscape and corresponding written forms. Music, likewise, uses pitch and duration of tones (sound) and notational signs and conventions (script) to produce and interpret culturally unique modes of expression. Practical and theoretical studies in 'sound culture' from an audio-visual/cross-cultural/inter-disciplinary posture reveal features of a language operating in the music of its practitioners. These include parallels in the ordering of phonemes and of musical tones, and classification of instruments in accordance with linguistic conventions. Furthermore, a wholistic view of sound culture identifies similar principles underlying presumably disparate musical and linguistic cultures, and suggests interesting possibilities for collaboration in research and creative activity, some of which will be demonstrated in brief recorded and performed examples.