Foreign Language Requirements

The department regards the stated language requirements as a minimum level of competence. The earlier the student acquires foreign language skills the better. Many fellowships for study abroad during the dissertation phase require the ability to read and speak the language of the country in question.

Requirements

The Music Department recognizes that professional needs in languages for Composition, Ethnomusicology, Musicology, and Performance Practice differ; however, the standards for judging reading knowledge are the same for all. All students must show they can read at a level useful for conducting their research.

To ensure that the required foreign languages are mastered early enough in a student’s program to be useful in course work and research, the department requires that the first language exam be taken in the fall semester of the first year. Students must pass their language exams before the Preliminary Exam (Composition and Musicology) or Portfolio & Prospectus Workshop (Ethnomusicology). 

  • For the en route A.M. in Performance Practice, demonstration of reading knowledge of one language is required.
  • For the Ph.D. in Composition, demonstration of reading knowledge of one language is required. This requirement is fulfilled as part of the en route A.M. requirements.
  • For the Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology, reading knowledge of one language is required. This requirement is fulfilled as part of the en route A.M. requirements.
  • For the Ph.D. in Musicology, demonstration of reading knowledge in two foreign languages is required.
    • The first language requirement is fulfilled as part of the en route A.M. requirements. The first language exam must be taken in the first semester of the first year of study. It must be passed by the end of the third semester, otherwise progress toward the degree may be declared unsatisfactory, and the student becomes ineligible for fellowship funding. Funding can be reinstated only for the semester following the one in which the exam has been passed.
    • The second language exam must be passed by the end of the fifth semester after matriculation and before taking the Preliminary Exam to maintain satisfactory progress toward the degree. This requirement may not be satisfied with two closely related languages (e.g., Spanish and Portuguese). Please note that at the dissertation stage, a student’s dissertation committee may require further language study.

Students entering the program with a completed master’s degree must take language exams regardless of past experiences at other institutions. English may count as one of the foreign languages for students who are not native English speakers.

Scheduling

Language examinations will be given three times during the academic year: once during the fall, once near the beginning of the Spring Term and once toward the end of the Spring Term. Language exams ordinarily cannot be given during the summer. The exams may be taken more than once if necessary. All entering students are required to take a language exam in their first semester.

Examinations

The language exam consists of one passage, chosen at the discretion of the examination committee, that is to be translated with the use of a hard-copy or online dictionary. Two hours will be allowed to complete the translation. Use of automatic translation tools of any kind are not permitted (e.g., Google Translate, ChatGPT, and comparable software utilities). In general, passages are chosen from the primary and secondary literature concerning music. Sample exams, as well as the departmental policy detailing expectations concerning level of expertise, amount, and kind of translation required are available from the DGSA.

The languages must be approved by the graduate faculty and ordinarily will be ones in which there exists an extensive, significant, and diverse body of scholarly and/or theoretical writing on musical topics or are of direct relevance to a student’s research interests. If the faculty does not include a qualified examiner in a selected language, it may not be possible to administer the exam in a timely fashion. Students should discuss choice of languages with the DGS during the early stages of the program since knowledge of certain languages may be required for specific research areas. A record of successfully completed language exams will appear on the student’s official transcript. For students trying to learn a foreign language from scratch, an intensive reading course taken over the summer will be helpful.

Computer Languages (Composition Students Only)

If a student demonstrates a substantive compositional or research interest, a composer may petition the Director of Graduate Studies to fulfill the foreign language requirement with a proficiency exam in a computer programming language such as Java, Python, Ruby, etc. Permission will be given solely at the discretion of the DGS. If granted permission, the student must identify a faculty member (e.g., in Computer Science) who is willing to administer this examination. Apart from the specific content, all aspects of the computer programming language proficiency exam must be identical to the normal Foreign Language Exam format

The department does not keep on file past computer language exams; however, these exams have previously been given through the link

http://www.cs.duke.edu/csed/pythonapt/music/.  

Additional Notes

  • The assigned passages may be different for different doctoral tracks. 
  • For the Latin examination, the passage will generally be chosen from the Bible, the Roman Catholic liturgy, or a medieval or Renaissance treatise.
  • For composers, generally passages will concern the post-1850 period. For students in Performance Practice and Musicology, the time frame is post-1600 as a rule, though earlier authors still currently used by composers (e.g., Petrarch) are fair game.
  • Students will be given printed sources contemporary to the period when written or in a modern edition. Students are advised to become familiar with typefaces (e.g., long “s”) and variants in and syntax for the chronological periods given above. In German, knowledge of Fraktur is required.
  • While every effort will be taken to select passages at a consistent level of difficulty from one exam to the next and from one language to another, some variation will inevitably occur. The faculty take this into account when grading: the easier the passage, the more will be expected. Samples of previous examinations are available in the Graduate Studies Office.
  • Given variations between languages and within passages in the same language, no specific acceptable word counts can be promised. However, as a rough guideline, students should normally expect to translate 500-750 words in a prose passage with dictionary in modern languages. Less is expected if the passages are in poetry or in Latin.
  • Students whose native language is not English may be given extra time at the discretion of the committee.

Evaluation

  • Examinations are graded by two faculty members on a pass/fail basis. In case of disagreement between faculty members, a third opinion (within or outside the Department) will be sought. All examinations will also be checked by the DGS for consistency of evaluation policies and standards.
  • Students can appeal a negative decision in writing to the DGS, who will seek outside opinion within 30 days.
  • If a student is passed “at the master’s level,” he or she may be required to retake the examination the next term should he or she wish to proceed to the Ph.D. or may be required by the committee to do additional work to demonstrate language competence.

Common Errors

Faculty are often asked, “Why did I fail?” The answers vary from case to case but often include:

  • Failure to have a good grasp of basic vocabulary (not translating enough due to looking up almost every word).
  • Failure to translate verb tenses and moods correctly.
  • Failure to understand the syntax and grammar.
  • Failure to produce coherent prose in English.
  • Failure to translate enough. What “enough” is may vary from examination to examination depending on the difficulty of the passage.