Since childhood, I’ve loved languages. I fantasized about being fluent in at least 7 or 8 and the notion of being able to converse in every language was the ultimate dream. So far, I have learned to speak English, French and Cantonese (along with studies in German, Spanish and Indonesian) but I see that I won’t have time to study all existing languages.
Thus in 2008, I had the idea of learning a lullaby, nursery song or a simple ballad in each language that I would come across in this lifetime. It would be a way for me to express my love for all tribes and the unique consciousness each one offers. That year, I recorded my masseuse in Thailand singing a Thai lullaby and my language tutor in Bali singing an Indonesian nursery rhyme.
With this humble long-term project, I have 3 main intentions:
1) To taste a bit of the diverse lingual beauty that exists in the world, enjoying the different sounds rolling off the tongue.
2) To glimpse into the heart of far-off peoples and lands through the songs of childhood or songs of love that are present in every culture.
3) To create a teaching archive of these songs so that more people can learn to sing them as gestures of Peace and Friendship.
If you wish to share a lullaby or a sweet song that you know accurately in another language, please email me the following items:
1) A video file (with clear audio) of the song as sung by YOU (not others)
a) Frame the shot in medium closeup (Head + shoulders + part of chest).
b) This is a folk project so you don’t need to worry about “being” a performer. Just sing lovingly for a child to fall asleep…
c) Choose a song that is less than 3 minutes (shorten it by a few stanzas if needed).
d) Upload your video onto a video hosting site like youtube.com or vimeo.com and send me the link.
2) The full text of the song in English or French phonetic sounds
a) Give your best description or interpretation of the sounds using English or French spellings. e.g. Kizhi in Malayalam is spoken like “Kirree” in English phonetics.
b) Identify the name of the actual language.
3) If possible, also send the full text of the song in its original language.
a) Send as a PDF file if the characters cannot be displayed correctly otherwise
Fun Extras (not required):
1) A short statement about the history or origin of this song.
2) Some links to the song on youtube (done by others) as additional reference.
Note: My email address for this project is: Evolution@littlewoo.org