The main aim of this study was to examine second language production and
discrimination skills in the light of musical aptitude. Our study was
conducted in university settings in south-western Finland. English was
used as a model for the second language due to its popularity among
young adults. There were three types of tests used in this study: a
pronunciation test, a phonemic listening discrimination task, and the
Seashore test as an index of the musical aptitude. All the participants
performed equally well in the phonemic listening discrimination task.
However, the participants with higher musical aptitude were able to
pronounce English better than the participants with less musical
aptitude. The results, therefore, imply that musical and linguistic
skills are interconnected.