la
B2Informal (as exclamation/interjection); Technical (in musical context)
Definition
Meaning
A representation of a vocal note; an exclamation, interjection, or filler word; the sixth degree of a diatonic musical scale in solfège.
Primarily used as a syllable in singing (especially as a substitute for words), an exclamation of surprise or emphasis, or the name for the note A in Romance languages. Used in the phrase "la la la" to represent nonsense lyrics or the act of not paying attention.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The meaning is highly context-dependent: musical (note name/solfège), exclamatory/interjectional, or lyrical. As an interjection, it is often arch or humorous.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in core meaning. Usage of 'la' as an interjection (e.g., 'La, how surprising!') is archaic and rare in both, but might be encountered more in period literature.
Connotations
In both varieties, 'la la la' can imply childishness, ignorance, or light-hearted singing. In the US, 'La' is strongly associated with place names (Los Angeles - L.A., Louisiana - LA).
Frequency
As an interjection, extremely low frequency in modern speech. Highest frequency is in musical contexts and in the singing syllables 'la la la'.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
exclamation (La!)reduplication (la la la)musical sequence (sol la ti)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “la-di-da (pretentious or snobbish)”
- “tra la la (expression of carefree happiness or, ironically, dismissiveness)”
- “fa la la (associated with Christmas carols)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually unused.
Academic
Found in music theory as the note name (A) or solfège syllable. Also in linguistic studies as a discourse particle.
Everyday
Used in singing to children, expressing light-hearted dismissal ('la la la, I'm not listening'), or mimicking a tune.
Technical
Standard term in music education and sheet music (especially in Romance countries) for the note A. In solfège, the sixth scale degree.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- No standard verb use.
American English
- No standard verb use.
adverb
British English
- No standard adverb use.
American English
- No standard adverb use.
adjective
British English
- No standard adjective use.
American English
- No standard adjective use.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We learned to sing 'do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do'.
- The baby loves it when I sing 'la la la'.
- When he started to argue, she just sang 'la la la' and walked away.
- In this song, you hum on 'la' for the first four bars.
- The choir master reminded the altos that the 'la' in bar 12 should be pianissimo.
- Her 'la-di-da' attitude really put people off at the community meeting.
- The composer's use of the sustained 'la' in the soprano line creates a haunting unresolved tension.
- His dismissive 'tra la la' in response to the crisis was seen as remarkably tone-deaf.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a singer opening their mouth wide and sticking out their tongue to sing a long, loud 'LAAAAA'.
Conceptual Metaphor
SINGING IS LANGUAGE (using 'la' as a placeholder for lyrics); IGNORANCE IS BLOCKING SOUND ('la la la' with hands over ears).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with the Russian particle "ля" (lya), which is used differently.
- The musical 'la' directly corresponds to the note 'Ля' (A) in Russian.
- Avoid translating the exclamatory 'la' as 'вот' or 'ну', as it's an archaic English usage.
Common Mistakes
- Capitalising 'la' when not referring to Los Angeles or Louisiana.
- Overusing the archaic interjection 'La!' in modern speech.
- Pronouncing it with a short vowel (/læ/) instead of the long /lɑː/ in music.
Practice
Quiz
What is the most common modern use of 'la la la' in everyday English?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but its status is marginal. It's primarily a musical term (solfège syllable) or an interjection/exclamation, which is now considered archaic.
Pronounce it as /lɑː/, with a long 'ah' sound, like the 'a' in 'father'.
They are spelling variants of the same sound, often used in song lyrics. 'La' is the standard spelling in musical and most other contexts.
L.A. is an abbreviation for Los Angeles. It is not related to the musical or interjectional 'la'. The 'la' in Los Angeles is the Spanish feminine definite article.