Singing In Chinese

Factual Questions
1

Edlyn and I went to a Chinese buffet this weekend. The music was a selection of very soft western-type contemporary. The vocals (like the wait staff and kitchen staff) were Chinese. I have no idea what the lady was singing, but it sounded much like soft love ballads by Olivia Newton John or something.

My question is this: given the tonality of Chinese, how hampered is a lyricist in terms of what she must fit into a melody? Is meaning lost or altered within the rising and falling tones of the harmonies? Must a Chinese lyricist dig for words that “fit” a melody, or can sense be made out of the words by context?

2

Excellent question. You’re not the first that’s wondered this.

The answer depends, in part, on whether the song is in Mandarin or Cantonese. See the sci.lang FAQ, How are tone languages sung?. The sci.lang FAQ is a great source of linguistic information, and goes into other questions posed on this message board, like the different names for Germany.