Wynton and Branford Marsalis are jazz musicians as well as siblings. Wynton plays the trumpet and Branford is a saxophonist. Both brothers grew up in, arguably, the same environment despite the one year age difference. Yet, these brothers have a very distinctive difference in speech and their language and word choices. Two interviews by Fresh Air are analyzed to evaluate the linguistics of each brother.
I decided to go about this assignment by making a table (table 1.) and marking how many times I hear or notice nine different vocal changes, as well as certain miscellaneous anomalies.
Vocal characteristics
Wynton Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Post syllabic “r”
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Deletion/ Use of post syllabic “l”
Deletion- | Use-
Deletion- Use- |
Existential “there” and “it”
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“theta” stopping
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Southern monophthongization
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Compound noun phrases
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Y’all usage
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Non-standard grammar
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Copula deletion
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Vocal anomalies round about storytelling, under pronunciation very direct, grammatically aware, more “caucasian”, “wit him”
Name dropping?
(Table 1. In the left column are characteristics or other vocal anomalies expressed by each individual. On the top row indicates the individual.)
Wynton Marsalis was very difficult to analyze because his storytelling stills are so good. Wyton was enjoyable to listen to and fun, maybe even more contemporary. I also thought it was interesting that his favorite composer was Beethoven. Wynton sounds much more like he is responding to a question with the intent to eventually answer. Though, he doesn’t seem to really be interested in immediately answering. He does so much storytelling, but eventually he answers the question. The question could have been answered very directly a...
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...white- american than his brother. I, personally, enjoyed Wynton’s interview better. I think that it is probably because I enjoyed Wynton’s round about way of speaking.
In a conclusion of my analysis, I feel as though it is very incomplete. As this is the first time I’ve actually truly listened to the vocal pattern of any individual, let alone, listen to two very different individuals and then compare them, I don’t think I was prepared to listen to it as linguistically as it could have been listened too. Also, Wynton and Branford both have very unique qualities I doubt that catching each and every unique nuance is even possible without serious experience in linguistics. Clearly, the two individuals are different, not only vocally but musically. So, despite being brothers, only a few years apart, playing in similar, or even the same band at times, growing up together
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Each singer wanted to their voice to heard and change the way things were, to have a better lif...
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The Scholar: You heard what I said. Everyone gets sick of a song after awhile. It's because there are no life issues in music. You hear it and it's over, and there's nothing to hold on to, nothing to cherish, not even an image, afterwards. It distracts me from reading. Yes, it's part of culture, but to really appreciate it you have to have an ear for it. It's not my thing. To really get it, it has to be your thing.