Blooming Vowels: Visualizing Four Hu and Emotional Expression in Mandopop Lyrics
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Abstract
This work explores the relationship between phonology and emotion in Mandopop lyrics from 1991 to 2025. Instead of treating phonetic structure and emotion as abstract concepts, we leverage linguistic analysis and data visualization to render them visible and interactive. Grounded in the traditional Four Hu phonological system, we analyze the distribution of vowel categories, the emotional tendencies of lyrics at both the word level and song level, and the potential relationship between phonetic patterns and emotional expression across different time periods. We present the data findings through an interactive 3D flower visualization interface, demonstrating a unique visualization approach to understanding how pronunciation and emotion interplay in song lyrics.