Introduction to pinyin

In English the meaning of sentences can be hugely altered depending on the tone of voice of

the speaker.

Wednesday, 10 October 12

Native English speakers are adept at picking up dozens of nuances in the way

that words are said and the possible meaning that those tones may carry;

sarcasm, anger, amusement, mocking - all of these can be layered into a

sentence through manipulating the tone of your voice.


In Mandarin tone plays an equally important, but quite different, role. In

Mandarin there are many words who's pronunciation sounds very similar to each other. Often the only thing that

allows you to tell two words apart is the tone with which they are pronounced.


So "he" pronounced with a certain tone of voice means "to drink" while when it is

pronounced in another tone of voice it means "river".


This does sometimes happen in English, but much more rarely and the rules are

less clear.

But consider this: if someone asked you how you were doing, you might reply,

"Great."


By changing the tone of your voice however, you could change the meaning

of the word "great" to mean that you were very well indeed, or actually pretty

terrible.


The tone of your voice can give the word a totally different meaning.


But unlike in English, in Mandarin there are well documented rules on the

different tones that are used in order to say different words. There are five tones in Mandarin, which are usually described

as follows:


1st tone - high and level


2nd tone - mid and rising


3rd tone - falling quickly then rising


14th tone - falling


5th tone - neutral


The number of the tone is written after the syllable is spelled out (sometimes the tones can also be represented by little lines above the letters, but that

system is not used on Memrise).


So ma1 is "ma" pronounced with the 1st tone. And ma3 is "ma" pronounced with

the 3rd tone.


All of which is straightforward enough, but how on earth do you remember

which tone is which and which one you need to use for which word?


Well first, you have to get to know them. During the next level, we are going to focus on the pronunciations. Listen to

words of each tone.


Get a feel for how they sound different. See what feelings each tone arouses in you, and build on those associations.


By establishing a strong set of emotional connections to each tone, you will find them much easier to remember. Here are the associations that work for

me - but feel free to use whichever associations work best for you!


The 1st tone to me is the singing tone. It is high and insistent and a little bit

annoying in an over-happy sort of a way.

These words annoy me, but I feel a bit bad about that. They are happy and

singing, after all.


The 2nd tone is a rising tone that sounds like a question to most English speakers.

So think of 2nd tone words as questioning, worried and insecure

words.

I like these words because all I have to do is to think in a questioning way and I

get the tone right because I naturally speak questions in a second tone.


The 3rd tone is the annoying, mocking school bully saying "wooo" in a down-up

way while teasing you. It is a nasty, annoying tone. Urrgh.

It also mis-behaves when put next to other tones, which is an irritating habit,

but not one that you need to worry about yet. I hold this tone in total disdain.


The 4th tone is the authoritarian, imperative angry tone. It is the one that

you shout things in.

For all that, I am fond of this tone. Having a good shout every now and

then is quite a pleasure.


5th tone Well, it is nothing really. A limp, dejected tone skulking about in the

corner casting furtive glances.

You don't see too much of the 5th tone; he is always a bit of a mystery,

sometimes there, sometimes not. I am a bit suspicious of him in truth.


Each level in this course will be repeated twice - once to test on the meanings and once to test on the pinyin pronunciations.

That way you can focus on the aspect you most want to, and can even decide to skip one part altogether if you would prefer


Now let’s get started!


Documents

Introduction to pinyin