Ruohui Xu

Tone-da is a flute-like language instrument designed for non-tone-language background learners of Chinese. It is not only a project about how to use musical elements to help people learn Chinese tones, but a new Chinese learning system that begins with tone-learning. There are only 5 tones in Chinese. Comparing to the complicated written characters, Pinyin(over 300 Chinese combinations of vowels and consonant sounds) and grammar, it is the simplest part to begin with. By making the learning tool into an instrument, Tone-da transforms the learning process from ‘speaking’ language into ‘playing’ language. The musical scores for Tone-da are pictorial scenarios wordlists based on the most realistic life in China. It aims to create an easy, fun and practical learning experience of Chinese and help people to build up their confidence in oral Chinese communication.