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Symbiosis and Evolution: A Linguistic Musicological Study of Cantonese Tone System and Cantonese Opera



Author(s)

FANG Zihao

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2025.06.009

Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi di Milano, Milan, Italy

This study explores the intricate symbiotic relationship between the Cantonese tonal system and Cantonese opera through an interdisciplinary lens of linguistics and musicology. Cantonese, with its complex tonal architecture and unique phonetic characteristics, serves not only as a communicative medium but as a structural blueprint for the melodic and rhythmic composition of Cantonese opera. Through historical tracing, phonological analysis, and performative interpretation, the paper examines how tonal contours directly shape vocal techniques, emotional expression, and narrative cadence within the opera tradition. The research further investigates how socio-cultural factors—ranging from regional identity, migration, and colonial modernity to contemporary digital transmission—have mediated the evolution and resilience of this art form. By demonstrating how linguistic tone and musical tune co-construct aesthetic experience and cultural memory, the paper offers a new theoretical model for understanding language-music co-evolution in tonal cultures. This inquiry not only affirms Cantonese opera’s role as a living archive of regional identity but also proposes strategies for its revitalization amidst the shifting conditions of modernity and globalization.

Cantonese Opera, Cantonese tone system, linguistic musicology, tonal language