r3gg13
Well-known member
Here you go guys!
Anything related to the language rule can be discussed here
Anything related to the language rule can be discussed here
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Bringing back the language rule!
- Thread starter r3gg13
- Start date
- Watchers 16
doctormalisimo
Well-known member
Ireland had a huge advantage during the language rule, so I'm all for bringing it back 
But seriously, no, it shouldnt be brought back but broacasters should be encouraged to send songs in the national language.
But seriously, no, it shouldnt be brought back but broacasters should be encouraged to send songs in the national language.
Sabiondo
Well-known member
Im against to change the lenguage rugle - Why:
1- Because nobody in Europe would understand the songs in their your national languages, unless you speak many languages.
2- Neighboring voting between Scandinavian, Balkan and Soviet, will be even more whose than ever ,cause the jury and the people in thorse regions would qualify higher with a song that they better understood language as example in Swedich, Russian, Serbo-Croatian,etc.. as they did in the last decades.
3- Ireland, Malta & UK will be the only ones who will be benefiting from the change & would play in their favor, cause everyone will understand betters their songs, as the official language in these countries is English and that everyone in Europe understands in general.
4- The Western jury will despise the songs of Eastern Europe as well as they did in the 70s-80s-90s with Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey & the former countries the Iron Curtain when joined in the 90s to be very rare for his taste.
5 - Then Malta, Ireland and the UK and they will finich on the TOP 5 every year, cause are the best understood even his songs are a s-hit, before the elimination in 1999 of the language rule ended up sharply with the domain of thorse countries English speakers in Eurovision had before.
So, its better that the thing don't change much.
1- Because nobody in Europe would understand the songs in their your national languages, unless you speak many languages.
2- Neighboring voting between Scandinavian, Balkan and Soviet, will be even more whose than ever ,cause the jury and the people in thorse regions would qualify higher with a song that they better understood language as example in Swedich, Russian, Serbo-Croatian,etc.. as they did in the last decades.
3- Ireland, Malta & UK will be the only ones who will be benefiting from the change & would play in their favor, cause everyone will understand betters their songs, as the official language in these countries is English and that everyone in Europe understands in general.
4- The Western jury will despise the songs of Eastern Europe as well as they did in the 70s-80s-90s with Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey & the former countries the Iron Curtain when joined in the 90s to be very rare for his taste.
5 - Then Malta, Ireland and the UK and they will finich on the TOP 5 every year, cause are the best understood even his songs are a s-hit
, before the elimination in 1999 of the language rule ended up sharply with the domain of thorse countries English speakers in Eurovision had before.So, its better that the thing don't change much.
I pretty much agree with what doctormalisimo and Sabiondo said. Just like music and styles have changed over the years, the music market has changed as well, it seems outdated to me forcing countries to sing in their official language. How many people in Denmark listen to danish music????? I doubt that many!
You are free to do that but most European and Asian artists do compose and sing in their native tongue. At least for their local markets and these should be represented in ESC. In large areas (Nordics are no part of) actually it would not even ocurr to anyone making music in another language than her or his own except it is for the contest. With humiliating results sometimes I say. This pretty likely never will be 'outdated' because it is about culture and honesty. Other things are 'outdated' in ESC these days.
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As evidenced by my signature, my feelings about the language rule are very strong. I consider it something of a disaster that since 1999 almost all winning entries have been in English, and most often without an alternative, national language version. For your generic musical talent show, I wouldn't care. But this is the Eurovision Song Contest, a place where a continent's amazing diversity comes together to share its culture. When you have countries that have *never* sent any entry in their national language (like Belarus), I think it's very sad. Who will remember that "Running Scared" was the Azeri song in ten years?
Listening to Eurovision songs post-1999 is a game of "from which country was this song?", with no way of knowing because they're all in English.
Now, I am pragmatic. I know we will never come back to the full language rule and I don't advocate that. I understand the argument that English allows people to understand each other, and that's fine by me. But there should be some effort put into promoting national languages in the ESC. Some of my ideas:
- Semi-finals in the national language, final in language of choice. (or reverse)
- Songs performed in English must have an alternative, national language version.
- At least 50% of the song has to be performed in the national language (akin to Germany's Bündesvision).
The last option actually holds my preference. I like the usual Israeli option, where most of the song is Hebrew except for the refrain. Which IMO is perfect, because people usually remember the refrain and not the rest of the song anyway.
PS: On the advantage a language rule would give to the UK, Ireland and Malta. Well, Malta has never won a single time, and when it came closest, the language rule didn't exist anymore. As for the UK and Ireland, surely their results will improve. But it is my opinion that if televote had been in place in the 1990s, Ireland would never have won three times in a row. The audience just doesn't like to vote for the same country two years in a row. And I think the public is actually less likely to vote exclusively for English-language songs than juries, as evidenced by jury voting in 2010 (where Finland was eliminated although it had enough televotes).
Listening to Eurovision songs post-1999 is a game of "from which country was this song?", with no way of knowing because they're all in English.
Now, I am pragmatic. I know we will never come back to the full language rule and I don't advocate that. I understand the argument that English allows people to understand each other, and that's fine by me. But there should be some effort put into promoting national languages in the ESC. Some of my ideas:
- Semi-finals in the national language, final in language of choice. (or reverse)
- Songs performed in English must have an alternative, national language version.
- At least 50% of the song has to be performed in the national language (akin to Germany's Bündesvision).
The last option actually holds my preference. I like the usual Israeli option, where most of the song is Hebrew except for the refrain. Which IMO is perfect, because people usually remember the refrain and not the rest of the song anyway.
PS: On the advantage a language rule would give to the UK, Ireland and Malta. Well, Malta has never won a single time, and when it came closest, the language rule didn't exist anymore. As for the UK and Ireland, surely their results will improve. But it is my opinion that if televote had been in place in the 1990s, Ireland would never have won three times in a row. The audience just doesn't like to vote for the same country two years in a row. And I think the public is actually less likely to vote exclusively for English-language songs than juries, as evidenced by jury voting in 2010 (where Finland was eliminated although it had enough televotes).
I´m not a big fan of the language rule.
Since 2000, everybody, who speaks English (most of the people in Europe), can understand the message of a song, which is very important for me.
When you listen to songs from foreign languages, you often don´t have a clue, what they´re about.
Since 2000, everybody, who speaks English (most of the people in Europe), can understand the message of a song, which is very important for me.
When you listen to songs from foreign languages, you often don´t have a clue, what they´re about.
I disagree. Otherwise we could just have all singers sing "nanananananana" substituting actual lyrics.
To me music is about a message and terrible lyrics such as "I can fly, tell me why, don't say goodbye, I will cry, my oh my" just turn me off a lot. And I am not saying every song has to have a deep meaning or complicated story as long as it makes sense.
And why would we get rid of a rule that the vast majority of viewers like?
I mean look at this years contest. 9 1/2 of songs in the televoting Top 10 are in english. Italy, Serbia, France & Spain had no real shot at winning.
And for the record, I loved Spain, France and enjoyed Greece. If the song is properly interpreted by the singer then I can also enjoy a song where I don't understand the lyrics.
I'm happy with the language rule.
lucian-crusher
Well-known member
No! Don't bring the language rule back! There are countries where people don't even speak their national language (, )....
, )....The assumption that most people in Europe understand English is a bit of an exageration. It may be true in Scandinavia or the Netherlands, but not elsewhere. It's just that pop music is overwhelmingly English and people are used to that. Do they understand it beyond the obligatory "love, life, you, me, fun, sexy, baby"? I'm not too sure. My point being: the audience can appreciate a non-English song if given the chance. Of course the top 10 will be almost 100% English when today's ESC is almost 80% pure English songs.
goktengri
Banned
I want countries to use their own languages but nobody should force them, the singers should be free about it.
Sabiondo
Well-known member
Just must see how UK & Ireland 80 & 90s was basically overated by the jury when they are the only ones authorized to sing in English than the rest.
For example if Russia wears an song in Russian when use the language rule, surely will get their 12 points for sure from all the Ex-Soviet Countries & Baltics today in day, cause its the major lenguage undertand by mostly of the ppl in that area.
In 2007, 50% of the Top5 songs were performed in national language.. including the winner!! With the exception of Greece, the very few entries not sung in English were just not suitable for masses, and for most observers that was quite obvious before the show. On the contrary, Molitva, Lane moje, Ne ver', ne boysia and Wild dances all were more or less correctly predicted to win. Ergo people do not vote for languages but if they consider an act as worthy they appreciate it in any language.
Probably one could argue though that English works better in commercialised and typical U.S. styled compositions whereas native tongues seem to have more success with ethnic formulas.
Probably one could argue though that English works better in commercialised and typical U.S. styled compositions whereas native tongues seem to have more success with ethnic formulas.
Sabiondo
Well-known member
Russia also was TOP 5 and was sing in English.
The problem is that now many broadcasters, juries and labels and also the artists themselves because they do take fright at a supposedly disadvantage do force composers to write in English even though they do not feel comfortable with that because still a vast majority of songwriters and singers never use it outside ESC. As a result, last not least quite often the English language is the one that gets abased.
Russia has done it two years ago and they got exactly one time the 12 as it was partly performed in Ukrainian as well. None of the other countries in the final were performing in Russian, additionally.
goktengri
Banned
In Turkey, people force singers to sing in Turkish ( it availed in 2006, Sibel had to change the song as Turkish ) but sometimes the singers don't listen to broadcaster and people. If there is a pressure toward representers, that is really bad but prohibiting somethings is not a good solution. If I want to sing in English or a language that is not my native one, nobody can interfere in it if they chose me. I will compose the song and write the lyrics, other ones have nothing to do with my song.
Sabiondo
Well-known member
But the song was almost entirely in Ukrainian, no many pepole undertand the Ukrainian on the Soviet sphere as the Russian as well, bersides was add verse in russian, cause in Russia the pepole was complained that nobody undertand the song as well.
Then this is my third point, artists feel obliged to sing in English because they fear a disadvantage. If artists are not eager to listen to public's will they should not take part anyhow as they are supposed to represent the country officially. Beside this, many broadcasters only do accept English songs.