pronounce h, g, k

[Alveranter]

I know approxiamtely how h, k, and g are supposed to be pronounced.. but where's the tongue ment to be in the mouth?? exactly where and how?? some books I've read don't mention this issue whereas one says you're supposed to arch it somehow.. does anyone really know??

/Alveranter

[Quest]

but where's the tongue ment to be in the mouth??

it depends on the vowel afterwards.

by themselves, your tongue does not need to move.

[Altair]

I have never read that Chinese has anything unusual about the tongue positions for "k" and "g." The phonological material I have read has always suggested that these are the same as in most other languages, but for the matter of aspiration and voicing.

The "h" on the other hand is another story. In some words and in some Mandarin speech there is a clear roughness to the pronunciation of this sound, because the back of the tongue makes light contact with the soft palate. This is similar to the Spanish "j" in "Jose," the German "ch" in Bach, Scotish "ch" in "loch," etc.

The roughness is always fairly light and barely noticeable, but I think it often (always?) affects the tongue position, even when it is not really audible. I recall usually hearing it in words like hen3 ("very"), but not in words like hai3 ("sea"). I don't know if this is because I have a bad ear for this sort of thing or if some sort of phonetic principle is operating in the background that depends on vowel quality and/or tone.