What is it about melody that helps us memorize words and lyrics?

This can be explained by “earworms,” which are melodies that get stuck in your head. Advertisers use this with catchy melodic jingles. If you find yourself walking around singing the Baby Back Ribs commercial, you are the victim of an earworm.

Now, a series from Berlitz called Earworms Learning has put this annoying phenomenon to good use, by creating audio CDs designed to drill a foreign language into your head. They do this by using the same catchy melodies utilized by advertising agencies.

Are you a skeptic? Quick: How do you say, “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” in French?

In case you’re too young to know the answer: “Voulez vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”

For you geeky types who need to know the science behind everything, according to the Earworms Learning website, extensive research has been conducted by the Bulgarian physician Georgi Lozanov, who discovered that “music puts listeners into a state of relaxed alertness, the alpha state, the ideal state of consciousness for learning.”

The Earworms Learning Program comes in two volumes. In volume one, you’ll learn basic travel dialogue, that will help you order at a restaurant, shop, ask for directions and other useful conversational tidbits. Volume two teaches you to hold a conversation and actually talk about yourself. Courses are available in French, Spanish, Italian, Greek, and more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~