台灣民間普遍使用、源自於閩南的語言—台語，屬聲調語言（Tone language）的一種。台語在吟誦時，就會產生旋律性，非常容易入樂，在歷史上，祖先也留下了許多優美動聽的民謠。日治時期開始有台語創作歌曲，但多半只是現代歌詞配上旋律，首重通俗易唱，作曲者只能說是旋律寫作者（melody writer）；1945年後，有幾位受過正統訓練的音樂家如呂泉生、郭芝苑寫過幾首優美、堪稱台語藝術歌曲的作品，但隨即停滯了三十年。1990年以後，開始有人再投入台語藝術歌曲創作，十多年來，台語藝術歌曲儼然成型，並且累積了一定水準的質與量，不僅是老一輩的作曲家重新投入，亦有舉足輕重的中壯年作曲家漸漸加入台語聲樂作品創作的行列，而聲樂界資深教授以及年輕的歌唱家也毫不猶豫的參與演唱和教學，顯現出台語藝術歌曲的創作和演出已獲得音樂界普遍的支持，在未來，也將有更多的音樂家投入。 近來我們看見，台語藝術歌曲的範圍漸擴充至室內樂歌曲、管弦樂歌曲、朗誦風格樂曲、雙語歌曲等，則其發展將更加廣闊，而歌曲的風格、形式也將伸展至各種類型，朝更多元、更有時代性的方向邁進。

Taiwanese, originated from South-Fujian dialect, is a tone language, so there has been a great mount of folksongs until now. Musicians in the 20th-century began to write new songs which were mainly for a massive middle-class amateur market. After the World War II, the composers Lu Chuan-sheng and Kuo Chih-yuan, who had studied music in Japan and returned to Taiwan, tried to compose art songs in Taiwanese, but only a few qualified works were retained. Because of the complicated political and social context during 1960-1990, no more serious songs in Taiwanese were composed nearly within 30 years of time. The vocal compositions were completely in Chinese language then. In the 1990s, more and more music teachers, singers and composers were gradually interested in Taiwanese poem and literature, and tried to write art songs again. In the early 21st century, many concerts with the new song repertoires were held, and miscellaneous songbooks were published. These Taiwanese serious songs appear in different styles: in folksong-like style with a simple harmonic accompaniment, in classic/romantic style, or in modern style using contemporary compositional techniques. Recently, we find the vocal composition in Taiwanese not only solo songs with piano accompaniment, but also in chamber music, in orchestral music, and in the style of speech-song, etc.. In the nearest future, the Taiwanese art songs will develop their own richness and beauty.