The Chinese Sound System and Hanyu Pinyin
Chinese is a tonal language.
A syllable pronounced in different tones carry different meanings.
Students must remember that when learning a new word in its spoken form, one must also keep three things in mind: pronunciation, meaning, and tones. Accurate pronunciation and tones are necessary for each syllable of the word.
Using the correct pronunciation and tones is crucial for beginners to keep in mind in order for them to communicate properly, especially as their Chinese level increases.
Therefore, being able to say words in their accurate tones is one of the most important tasks for beginner students.
This Chinese Sound System module will help students build a solid foundation in Chinese sounds.
It introduces initials and finals by illustrating how these sounds are produced in the mouth (aspirated or not), specifically by showing the placement of the teeth, tongue, mouth, lips, nose, larynx, etc.
As for tones, students will be guided to practice tones in single syllables, and then move onto tone combinations of two and three syllables.
In our pedagogy, we use high, low, rising, and falling tones to refer to tones that are traditionally referred to as first, third, second, and fourth tones. We emphasize the instruction of half-third tones (a low tone) rather than full-third tones (a dipping and rising tone) because most of the time the third tone is not a full third tone but simply a low tone that is half the length of a regular syllable.
As for tones, students will be guided to practice tones in single syllables, and then move onto tone combinations of two and three syllables.
In our pedagogy, we use high, low, rising, and falling tones to refer to tones that are traditionally referred to as first, third, second, and fourth tones. We emphasize the instruction of half-third tones (a low tone) rather than full-third tones (a dipping and rising tone) because most of the time the third tone is not a full third tone but simply a low tone that is half the length of a regular syllable.
Tonal graphs are introduced to help learners visualize the beginning and ending point of a tone.
Many teachers only teach single syllables. This is not enough because a student may be able to pronounce sounds correctly in single syllables, however when there are multiple syllables their tones become inaccurate.
To address this, this module offers tone combination practice with two or three syllables to allow students to gradually build their tonal control.
The instruction of tone change rules is often overlooked. This lack of instruction causes students to make a lot of tonal mistakes. This module not only teaches tone change rules, (the most common being the third tone change rule) it also introduces second tone and fourth tone change rules as well.
Finally, rules for stressed and unstressed syllables and neutral tones are introduced so that students can achieve a natural speech flow with proper rhythm and intonation in Chinese.
The instruction of tone change rules is often overlooked. This lack of instruction causes students to make a lot of tonal mistakes. This module not only teaches tone change rules, (the most common being the third tone change rule) it also introduces second tone and fourth tone change rules as well.
Finally, rules for stressed and unstressed syllables and neutral tones are introduced so that students can achieve a natural speech flow with proper rhythm and intonation in Chinese.
To allow students to practice speaking with a good sound model, audio is provided so students can hear the sounds in order to learn them.
Animation is also used to show the movement directions (the ups and downs) for different tones.
A chart of 400 possible syllables is also provided for students to practice single syllable sounds in different tones.
In addition, assessments for tones are also provided so that students can hear a sound and identify its tone, initial, and final.
This makes for great listening practice.
Once the basics are introduced, students will begin to use these sounds to form words and phrases.
This module provides materials for students to count from 0 to 10,000.
Students will also learn to say common family names and short, useful classroom expressions.
In addition to this, Tang poetry is also used to show how to read a poem with emotion.
Students will appreciate the beauty of Chinese poetry that is composed of words with rising and falling sounds.
These words produce a rhyme that helps create beautiful imagery for the student.
The acquisition of tones, rhythm, and accurate pronunciation takes time. It is advised that students should come back to this chapter to listen, imitate, and produce the sounds as much as possible.
It is important to say each word aloud, listen to the sound, and compare it with the provided audio. To learn to speak Chinese, students need to imitate a native speaker (using both a woman's and man's voice) who speaks standard Chinese.
Besides producing sounds, the ability to distinguish sounds and to be able to tell whether the tones, initials, or finals are the same or not is also crucial. It is often found that if a student cannot hear the difference of two sounds, he or she might not be able to pronounce them correctly. Finally, learn the tones and sounds of a word by itself first, then put it in a phrase or a sentence. Always note down a new word with correct spelling and tone marks.
This set of Chinese Sound System web materials is to accompany the first five chapters of the Elementary Chinese textbook used at Hunter College. For more information about the textbook and more details regarding methods for teaching Chinese tones and sounds, please contact the author, Prof. Der-lin Chao.
The acquisition of tones, rhythm, and accurate pronunciation takes time. It is advised that students should come back to this chapter to listen, imitate, and produce the sounds as much as possible.
It is important to say each word aloud, listen to the sound, and compare it with the provided audio. To learn to speak Chinese, students need to imitate a native speaker (using both a woman's and man's voice) who speaks standard Chinese.
Besides producing sounds, the ability to distinguish sounds and to be able to tell whether the tones, initials, or finals are the same or not is also crucial. It is often found that if a student cannot hear the difference of two sounds, he or she might not be able to pronounce them correctly. Finally, learn the tones and sounds of a word by itself first, then put it in a phrase or a sentence. Always note down a new word with correct spelling and tone marks.
This set of Chinese Sound System web materials is to accompany the first five chapters of the Elementary Chinese textbook used at Hunter College. For more information about the textbook and more details regarding methods for teaching Chinese tones and sounds, please contact the author, Prof. Der-lin Chao.