This study explores the linguistic evolution of Akan folk songs as they evolve from traditional oral performances to contemporary musical genres in the rapidly globalizing digital society of Ghana. Although there is a vast body of literature on Akan oral culture and popular music, there is a lack of systematic linguistic research that explores the structural and stylistic evolution of Akan folk songs across musical periods, especially from oral culture to classical highlife and contemporary hiplife genres. This study adopts oral formulaic theory and stylistic analysis to examine twenty-five Akan songs, which are categorized into three periods: traditional folk songs (including dirges and work songs), classical highlife, and contemporary hiplife. The results indicate that, despite the impact of globalization on instrumentation, media, and linguistic expression, Akan folk songs have maintained their traditional themes of love, morality, praise, social commentary, and mortality, while creatively incorporating new linguistic resources. This study concludes that Akan folk songs are an active linguistic and cultural repository that maintains indigenous knowledge while adapting to the contemporary and global environment.

The article examines the functions of culture-specific vocabulary in Latvian cultural discourse by applying digital humanities methods and a distant-reading approach. The theoretical framework is grounded in Wierzbicka’s cultural-semantic methodology, which treats cultural “key words” as carriers of collective experience, values, and worldviews. For the empirical component, a full-text corpus of the first issue (1942) of the literary and cultural journal Latvju Mēnešraksts was compiled in the SketchEngine environment (≈14,500 word tokens; ≈3,900 unique word types). The results demonstrate that the journal’s discourse is dominated by lexicon associated with Latvian traditional worldview, national identity, and a sense of belonging: concepts such as darbs ‘work’, dzīve ‘life’, laiks ‘time’, cilvēks ‘person’, and especially Blaumanis as a key cultural-canon figure. Spatial and belonging-related concepts (e.g., zeme ‘land’, vieta ‘place’, māja ‘home’) form a central semantic field within the journal, reflecting the culturally significant Latvian attachment to environment, homeland, and community. Equally important is the cultural-semantic role of the concept saule ‘sun’, expressed through folkloric connotations and the Latvian mythopoetic worldview. The word dziesma ‘song’ is identified as a culture-specific element whose meaning strongly correlates with the folk-song tradition, layers of collective memory, and the Song Festival phenomenon. The analysis of ethnonyms and nationality-related lexicon indicates an ideologically cautious approach within the journal.

This study explores how Hua’er, a typical form of traditional folk song in NW China, might be introduced to music teaching in schools as a way of protecting intangible culture. This particular problem is theoretically broken down into three main concepts: Cultural Transfer Theory, Concept of Curriculum Integration, and Aesthetic Student Experience. By observation, classroom teaching confirms that scenario learning and creative adjustment are efficient approaches for making a connection between traditional forms and modern scenarios. However, a lack of organized teaching content, insufficient instructor training, and a standardized assessment system are prominent negatives. To address such problems, this study proposes several approaches: utilizing electronic teaching content, inter-province teaching establishment based on cooperation among teaching staff, and teaching based on scenarios. This study emphasizes strong teaching potential for Hua’er with additional functions aside from music training purely for practical advantages. This paper closes with a notion of a teaching model with passion and innovation because of intangible emotion to be a driving force for more effective integration of intangible teaching with modern teaching.

The paper offers a comprehensive analysis of Ivan Franko’s poetic cycle “Spring Songs” (“Vesnianky”), which presents an innovative reinterpretation of the folk song tradition. On the one hand, the cycle naturally relies on the archaic generic foundation of the ritual spring song, while on the other, it radically transforms its imaginative, stylistic, and generic system. Moving away from the idyllic reproduction of the agricultural calendar rite, Franko creates a polyphonic model in which the spring archetype functions as a multidimensional artistic symbol with socio-existential and civic resonance. Within the thematic paradigm of the cycle, several vectors can be distinguished: the pessimistic (“counter spring songs”), emphasizing the destitution and hard labor of the peasantry; the vitalistic, affirming the joys of youth, the value of life, and the idea of the ‘integral personality’; the prophetic, permeated with visions of future national rebirth, where spring symbolizes liberation and renewal; and the mythological, in which archetypal images of the earth, Fate, the ploughman, and the ‘quick-witted mind’ acquire a new poetic confi guration, endowing the cycle with a philosophical ontological dimension. The system of images in “Spring Songs” is grounded in the sacred symbols of spring and earth, which together form a unified symbolic-semantic field. When combined with the elements of nature and the allegories of reason, seed (‘the golden grain’), thought, and labor, they create the integral conceptual sphere of the cycle. “Spring Songs” constitutes an important stage in the formation of Franko’s national philosophy. The cycle fuses the emotionality of lyrical experience with a programmatic civic orientation, affirming the ideals of enlightenment and nation-building. The collection emerges as Franko’s civic declaration, shaping his concept of the ‘integral personality.’

This study examines the role of metaphors in Karakalpak folk songs, with a specific focus on three traditional songs: Aqsúńgil, Yasha páriy, and Qız Minayım. Using a qualitative ethnolinguistic approach, the research explores how metaphors in these folk songs reflect and reinforce key cultural values, social structures, and norms within Karakalpak society. Metaphors are recognized as essential tools for conveying cultural beliefs about leadership, community responsibility, gender roles, and romantic relationships. The analysis categorizes metaphors based on Lakoff and Johnson’s typology, distinguishing between ontological, structural, and container metaphors. The findings highlight how metaphors like “settling the lands”, “driving herds of livestock”, and “choosing the finest youths” underscore the cultural importance of land, livelihood, and women’s roles as leaders and nurturers. Similarly, metaphors such as “multicolored dress” and “dawn breaking” reflect the deep connection between nature, beauty, and romantic love. These figurative expressions not only enrich the poetic quality of the songs but also embody fundamental aspects of Karakalpak worldview, where emotional connections and social unity are intertwined with the natural world’s rhythms. By examining the metaphors in these folk songs, this paper contributes to the ethnolinguistic understanding of how language and culture are intertwined, offering new insights into the cultural identity of the Karakalpak people. The study highlights the importance of metaphor in shaping social relationships, fostering community cohesion, and transmitting cultural knowledge across generations. The research also opens avenues for future studies on the role of metaphor in other forms of oral literature in Central Asia.

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. The Ukrainian population has suffered from Russian attacks on civilians, hospitals and schools. In the media, we have seen the Ukrainians as a singing nation. Songs are sung in bomb shelters and by soldiers, in the streets to celebrate victories and in memorials for the dead victims. This article discusses how certain songs can find a special place in the nation’s collective memory as comfort, protest and a catalyst for emotions. A search for war songs that are sung by children and adolescents and posted on social media shows that there are a number of popular war songs, from the national anthem and traditional folk songs to more recent pop and rock songs. “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna” seems to be the most popular and important war song in Ukraine and has been posted on social media in several versions. The article analyses this Ukrainian war song as a multimodal expression, in which the artist's appearance, clothing, colours, gestures, body language expression and singing voice, timbre, pitch, melody, rhythm, instruments, arrangement, movement and dance – all of these expressions are carriers of meaning, and together they contribute to the totality (Machin 2010, 2). Furthermore, using examples from social media of Ukrainian children and young people singing “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna”, the article discusses how the younger generation can build national identity and process the trauma of war in the nation’s collective memory by singing this song and sharing their performances on social media. The analysis is rooted in Martin Clayton’s (2009) theory of the functions of music, recent studies on neuroscience and music (Levitin 2008; Brean & Skeie 2019), and the concept of collective memory (Assmann 2006).

As a traditional folk song listed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, “Hua’er” (花儿) carries the cultural genes and emotional memories of multiple ethnic groups in Northwest China. In the new stage of intangible cultural heritage protection where digital technology has fully penetrated, the inheritance mode and dissemination path of “Hua’er” (花儿) are undergoing profound changes. Supported by the theory of digital intangible cultural heritage, this paper combines typical cases such as the inheritance practice of “Hua’er” (花儿) in Min County, systematically analyzes the inheritance value of “Hua’er” (花儿) folk songs in the digital era in terms of cultural gene preservation, ethnic identity construction, and cultural tourism integration empowerment. It deeply explores the innovative dissemination paths in areas such as short video dissemination, crossborder art innovation, and digital cultural tourism integration. Furthermore, it proposes optimization strategies for practical dilemmas such as cultural distortion and technical adaptation, providing theoretical references and practical paradigms for the living inheritance of traditional folk song-type intangible cultural heritage.

The Zhuang Liao Songs (壮族嘹歌) is a traditional duet folk song that is popular in Pingguo County, Guangxi, and carries the historical memory and cultural identity of the Zhuang community. With the rapid development of modernization, urbanization, and digital media, the musical ecological environment in which Zhuang Liao Songs exists has changed significantly. Based on the theory of music ecology and combined with a 12-month ethnographic field survey, this paper explores how Zhuang Liao Songs can achieve adaptation and cultural continuity in the new ecological environment. The study found that Zhuang Liao Songs has expanded its ecological niche through campus education, public performances, and digital communication, and the community has also actively negotiated cultural identity between tradition and innovation. The article proposes a “multi-level ecological adaptation model”, emphasizing that traditional music should be regarded as a dynamic ecosystem, providing theoretical support for understanding the relationship between cultural change and continuity, and providing empirical references for the protection practice of intangible cultural heritage.

Broken Voices: Postcolonial Entanglements and the Preservation of Korea's Central Folksong Traditions

Sing Out! magazine, which began publishing in 1950, primarily featured transcriptions of traditional and topical folk songs. The magazine also published critical essays, occasional reportage, and introductions that provided historical, cultural, and political context to these songs. As a period before the folk revival in the United States became a fully commodified pop culture phenomenon, Sing Out!’s first decade offers insights into the way revival media dealt with tensions in the project of uplifting folk culture while functioning in a commercial publishing marketplace. Sing Out!’s editors and writers contended with these contradictions by acknowledging the power and responsibility of such a publishing venture and by defining music, the magazine’s focus, as cultural work with an inextricable political nature. These discourses provided a foundation for a broader critique of US cultural hegemony, even as the magazine participated in this hegemony by acting as an authoritative voice defining folk music for readers.

Folk songs, as a vital component of China’s intangible cultural heritage, have long reflected the country’s geographical and cultural diversity. Over the past decade, scholarship has increasingly examined how regional environments, languages, and social practices shape the formation and transformation of folk song traditions. This article presents a narrative review of 65 studies published between 2014 and 2024, drawing on both English and Chinese sources identified through Google Scholar and CNKI. The synthesis highlights three major trends. First, the enduring north–south binary continues to structure much research, but its explanatory power is limited in transition zones and hybrid repertoires. Second, micro-regional and ethnic-minority perspectives reveal the significance of linguistic prosody, ritual practice, labor rhythms, and migration histories, complicating environment-based explanations. Third, processes of heritagization, tourism, and state policy have increasingly reshaped folk songs, creating tensions between preservation, transformation, and commodification. The review argues that while geography remains a useful heuristic, explanatory frameworks must integrate environmental, linguistic, ritual, migratory, and institutional factors. By clarifying these dynamics, the article contributes to music geography and ethnomusicology, offering methodological directions for future research and practical insights for heritage preservation.

The purpose of the article is to summarize the theoretical provisions of modern folklore researchers and the experience of folk singing teachers in the development of a creative portrait of an authentic performer, to identify their role in the practice of assimilating the folk song tradition. The methodology of the theoretical analysis is based on the theoretical provisions of the system-functional approach to the problem of personality in folklore. The classification method is used to determine the paradigmatic nature of the distribution of styles of folk song performance and to distinguish the forms of its functioning. Theoretical basis of performance and ethnophonic analysis is formed on the provisions of scientific research by A. Ivanytskyi, Y. Karchova. V. Osypenko, V. Osadcha, I. Synelnykov. The results. The generalization of the creative features of the bearer of the tradition of song folklore is formalized by researchers and teachers of folk singing in the form of a creative portrait of an authentic performer. The tradition of generalizing the performing style of outstanding carriers of authentic singing is continued in the practice of professional assimilation of folk song performance at the departments of musical folklore, folk singing of higher educational institutions of culture and art of Kyiv, Rivne, Kharkiv. In particular, the experience of compiling creative portraits of folk performers is based on the course and master’s works of students of the Department of Ukrainian Folk Singing (now — Pop and Folk Singing) of Kharkiv State Academy of Culture (supervisors H. Breslavets, V. Osypenko). The characteristics of Polissia folklore performance are devoted to the articles of the teachers of the Department of Musical Folklore of the Institute of Arts of Rivne State University L. Gapon, N. Boyarska, R. Tsapun, N. Nyzhnyk, B. Yaremko, V. Yarmola. The components of the creative portrait of the performer are defined: biography, characteristics of the environment, attitude of the singer (musician), personal characteristics, repertoire, features of the performing style, promotion of the song heritage. Research format of diploma introduced by Y. Rybak relies on the structure of scientific collections of folklore with subsequent publication, which contains transcriptions, scientific apparatus: description of ethnography, genres, analytical tables, disc with audio recordings. The scientific novelty. For the first time, the article summarizes the achievements of researchers and teachers of cultural art universities of Kyiv, Rivne, Kharkiv in the development of a theoretical and methodological approach to the assimilation and representation of folk song heritage, in particular in the form of a creative portrait of a folk performer. The practical significance of the article lies in the scientific substantiation and methodological presenta-tion of the positions of ethnophonic and performance analysis, formalized for further use in the educational and creative process of assimilation of educational programs such as “Folk Singing” and “Musical Folklore”.

This study investigates the significance of indigenous music in African folklore as a vehicle for transferring cultural norms and values to African children, with a particular emphasis on its impact on moral and social development. The study's goal is to look at how traditional music genres, including lullabies, folk songs, chants, and storytelling, might serve as informal educational platforms for African children, shaping their ethical conduct, identity, and communal values. The study employs a qualitative research methodology, including ethnographic fieldwork, interviews with elders, cultural custodians, and educators, and an analysis of select indigenous songs from three African communities. Audio recordings and transcriptions of traditional music performances are studied thematically to reveal hidden messages and cultural values. The research is based on Social Learning Theory and Afrocentric Theory, both of which emphasize learning by observation, engagement, and conformity with African worldviews. These frameworks help us understand how children internalize moral norms and social expectations through cultural exposure. The findings show that indigenous music is still an effective cultural channel for promoting values like respect, communal living, honesty, and accountability. However, modernization, urbanization, and the impact of Western media all contribute to a fall in its use, according to the study. This study adds to scholarship by integrating musicology, education, and cultural studies to highlight the instructional potential of traditional music. It advocates incorporating indigenous music into formal education curricula and community-based learning activities to promote cultural preservation and moral growth.

This study investigates the historical development of Maoshan Haozi, a traditional folk song originating from Xinghua City in Jiangsu Province, China. A qualitative research methodology was adopted, with field interviews and participant observations employed as the primary tools for data collection. Informants were interviewed on-site, and the data collected were systematically analyzed to uncover the transformation of this folk tradition. It has been found that Maoshan Haozi originated in the Neolithic era as rhythmic shouts used during collective labor, and over time, these evolved into musical expressions deeply embedded in agricultural life. Influences from successive waves of regional migration were absorbed, resulting in a unique blend of cultural elements that shaped Maoshan Haozi into a form marked by both strength and lyrical gentleness. Musically, Maoshan Haozi employs the pentatonic scale, structured melodies, distinct rhythms, and a call-and-response format. Based on musical structure and labor function, the songs have been classified into long and short forms as well as various types, such as Cheshui Haozi, Zaiyang Haozi, and Niu Haozi. As industrialization and urbanization progressed, Maoshan Haozi was adapted for stage performance, leading to changes in melody, tempo, vocal technique, and accompaniment. Despite its inclusion in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2011 and ongoing educational initiatives, its sustainability remains challenged by generational gaps, reduced youth engagement, and concerns over cultural dilution through digital adaptation. Nevertheless, the preservation and revitalization of Maoshan Haozi have been facilitated through government support, community involvement, and integration into school curricula. This study contributes to ethnomusicological discourse by emphasizing the importance of adaptive strategies in maintaining the cultural integrity of traditional folk music within contemporary contexts.

The Dua Tpeng Festival, meaning "going down to the lake" or "breaking the lake," is a community cultural event held in Loc Khanh Commune, Loc Ninh District, Binh Phuoc Province. It is deeply rooted in the cultural identity of the Khmer people and carries profound spiritual significance. The festival symbolizes the community’s connection to nature, offering prayers for abundant harvests and prosperous livelihoods, while also fostering solidarity within the community. Key activities include rituals of harvesting aquatic products from the pond, traditional folk dances and songs (Lam Vong, Lam Thon), and the organization of communal meals. These practices not only create a lively and cohesive atmosphere but also underscore the festival's role in preserving and promoting the intangible cultural heritage of the Khmer people. In the contemporary context, the Dua Tpeng Festival is regarded as a priceless cultural asset, significantly enriching Vietnam’s national heritage. However, challenges posed by socio-economic changes and urbanization have made it difficult to preserve the festival, necessitating sustainable strategies such as enhancing community involvement, increasing government support, and integrating educational initiatives to raise awareness about the importance of cultural heritage. The Dua Tpeng Festival is not only a source of pride for the Khmer people of Binh Phuoc but also serves as a unique cultural symbol that contributes to the cultural diversity of the nation.

As an important regional and national culture carrier, Sichuan folk songs have historically played a significant role in spreading community values and maintaining local identity. These traditional folk song forms face challenges and opportunities in the context of rapid modernization and urbanization in contemporary China. While retaining historical and folk elements, folk song content adapts to social changes. Folk songs have become a cultural bridge across age groups, especially among young people. This study examines the innovation and inheritance of Sichuan folk songs in urbanization, focusing on the adaptation of Bashan Beier Song, the first national intangible cultural heritage project. This study uses qualitative case analysis and cultural interpretation to examine the reshaping of these folk songs in a modern context. It also focuses on important issues such as intergenerational disconnection, commercialization, and the disappearance of authenticity. The results show that while urbanization poses challenges to the traditional way of inheriting folk songs, it is also capable of a creative revival supported by cultural innovation. Maintaining modern forms while retaining the cultural essence is a hallmark of successful adaptation efforts. This study further helps to understand how intangible cultural heritage can be sustainably developed in urban society. It provides valuable insights for cultural policymakers, educators, and artists who protect traditional music during social transformation.

The present study is devoted to the literary and folklore heritage of E.Shemyazade, an outstanding poet and scientist of the Crimean Tatar people. The main aspects of his work are analyzed, including the synthesis of philosophy, lyrics and oral traditions, as well as their interaction and mutual influence. Special attention is paid to the issues of preservation and transformation of folk song culture, the role of dialectal and cultural features in poetic texts, as well as the influence of traditional ethnocultural heritage on modern Crimean Tatar literature, the main directions of E. Shemyazade's scientific research are revealed. The subject of the research is the poetics of traditional folk songs. The object of the research is the scientific heritage of E.Shemya-zadeh. The purpose of the study is to analyze the scientific works of E. Shemy-zadeh devoted to the issues of folk lyrics. The material for the study was the collection of articles "Edebiy ve tenkidiy makaleler" ("Literary and critical articles") (2000). The structural method was used as the main research method. The novelty of the research lies in the fact that we chose the poetics of folk songs in the scientific research of E.Shemyazade as its subject. Also, for the first time, the article systematically analyzes the main aspects of the relationship between the literary heritage of E. Shemyazade and the folk folklore tradition, and identifies the mechanisms and features of the use of oral forms in his poetic work. E. Shemya-zadeh's scientific research reflects the most important facets of the author's worldview, gives us the opportunity to see the features of his value system. The works of E. Shemya-zadeh introduced qualitatively new features in relation to the study of folk lyrics and cultural issues. According to E. Shemya-zadeh's research, the historically established system of genres of Crimean Tatar folk songs is undergoing changes. Stylistic changes affect the content of the songs.

This study explores the historical, social, and cultural dynamics underpinning the origins and development of Hua’er, a distinctive folk song tradition in northwest China. Focusing on the Taomin and Hehuang regions, the research highlights how this musical form evolved through intensive interactions among diverse ethnic groups, including Han, Hui, Tibetan, and Tu communities. The historical context of the genre is closely associated with the ancient Silk Road and the traditional Tea-Horse Trade routes. These trade networks facilitated cultural exchanges between East and West, significantly influencing regional cultural practices, including music. Over time, the songs transformed from songs used in religious rituals—seeking divine blessings for harvests and fertility—into a popular form of secular folk expression. This evolution is exemplified by the transition from temple fairs and religious rites to contemporary recreational gatherings, now widely celebrated as the Hua’er Festival. The linguistic phenomenon known locally as “wind-churned snow”, referring to the intermingling of Chinese and minority languages in the lyrics, further demonstrates the cultural integration in this region. These linguistic exchanges reflect a broader pattern of ethnic coexistence and mutual influence. Ultimately, this paper argues that Hua’er serves not only as an enduring cultural tradition but also as a vivid illustration of intercultural dialogue and social cohesion. With its adaptability and continued relevance, it provides valuable insights into the complexities of cultural heritage, ethnic identity, and historical transformation in China. 

A Family is the first and main place of education for children. In the family, children learn from the womb until the child's journey into their own household. Therefore, the family has a very basic role in optimizing all the potential of the child. The family literacy movement is based on the desire to improve the literacy skills of family members. herefore, the understanding of literacy as the ability to identify information needs, search for, obtain, process, and re-inform information needs to be improved in the family realm. To improve these literacy skills, the role of the family is very important. The family as the smallest unit in society, in the context of education, becomes the first and main learning environment for children. Through daily activities, parents or family members can introduce children to traditional music (such as gamelan, angklung, and sasando), regional dances, and folk songs. For example, parents sing regional songs as a lullaby or take children to watch traditional art performances. Parents must be able to find solutions and be as creative as possible in finding ways to be able to realize a literate family that can become a generation of national pride. Smart, creative, and caring parents will be very capable of realizing a culture of literacy in the family.

This article examines the use of national folk songs as an effective tool for developing creative abilities. Highlighting their cultural, narrative, and emotional richness, it presents traditional music as a stimulus for imaginative thinking and self-expression. The article outlines key methods, including lyrical interpretation, analysis of musical structure, and their application in creative learning settings. Drawing on practical examples, it demonstrates how engaging with folk songs enhances originality and problem-solving. The text provides educators and creatives with practical strategies for integrating folklore into innovative educational and artistic work.