Singing as a Primary Method of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language: a Brief Review

Abstract: Based on the summary and review of the pedagogical application of Singing as primary Chinese teaching method in the University of N'Djamena, the Republic of Chad, this paper illustrates the problem of "what to sing and how to sing" in learning Chinese. It also demonstrates that it is feasible to use singing Chinese songs as the main teaching tool in teaching oral Chinese at the basic level by combining theoretical demonstration and case analysis. With regard to the compilation of the lyrics of Chinese songs for teaching, this paper puts forward the principle of "concise and practical, harmonious rhyme and artistic conception". For the music arrangement, the author puts forward the method of using new words to modify old songs. This paper illustrates with examples that "learning Chinese by singing" still has broad development space and requires further study. Keywords: Learning Chinese through songs; Singing as primary Chinese teaching method; Theoretical basis; Lyrics compilation; Music orchestration.