he2 (and, together with) versus he1 (drink)

[Hello Kitty]

I have real trouble with tone 1 versus tone 2 sometimes. This is especially the case with these two words, he1 (喝) and he2 (和). Can someone give me a hint on how to refine my pronounciation when it comes to tone one and tone two with words like this? For example, someone very helpfully told me that tone 3 is like when you say 'well?' in english, and tone 4 is very much like saying 'no!' in english. I have no trouble with tone 1, it's just tone 2 that perplexes me...

[querido]

There isn't much to say about *how* to make tones, and there isn't much to think about; it's a skill you gain by doing. Can you sing? (I'll assume so.) Then find examples of the sound and sing along with it. Do your study materials include audio? I would hope so.

Can you sing the "Do, a deer" song? (If not you could google/youtube it.)

Can you do the associated scale: do re me fa so la ti do?

Can you, instead of stepping up in steps like that, just sing a gradually rising note from low to high: do (low) .........do (high)?

Now try hé (low) ....... hé (high). (I know you can do that.)

Now just shorten that.

Now just sing it without thinking about it.

[renzhe]

Maybe you could try imagining a surprised, frustrated, rising ".....what?!?" or "....AGAIN?!?"

[Hello Kitty]

That sounds alot like the third tone, to me. Anything which sounds like a question just sounds like the third tone to my mind.

[renzhe]

The third tone is very low, falls down, and doesn't rise much. It doesn't really sound like anything I know from European languages.

In fact, I'd pronounce "well?" with a "second tone", but perhaps we pronounce it differently.

This sort of stuff is very difficult to describe in words, and in terms of English words. The best way to learn is to listen to tones in isolation and repeat exactly what you hear. You can try this as a reference.

[querido]

Assuming you can sing a little:

1. Hum from a very low pitch to very high one.

2. Now open your mouth and say he2 from very low to very high.

3. Now, instead of going from very low to very high, just choose a little section in the middle of that range. That's the sound: a fraction of a second of rising tone.

When you said "perplexes" I thought that suggested a problem in *thinking* about it, while in fact it is just a physical act gained through mimicry; there is nothing to think about.

[Hero Doug]

I'll second that a question brought about out of confusion is a good example of a rising second tone. But the best way is to forget English altogether.

Along the lines of what querido was saying, if you can't control the tone of your voice you really should sit down and practice.

Just going slowly and saying mā in a very controlled manner making sure you keep it at the same high pitch throughout is a good start. And the same with saying má, mǎ, and mà; plus doing the same for all the other sounds in Mandarin.

Yeah, it's boring repetition, but that's how people learn (and I personally find it to be the one of the most effective study methods for myself).

You mention having trouble with the first and second tone. So practicing combinations like mámā, māmá, fáfā, húlū, xīxī, dībá, etc, in a very controlled manner and over time increasing your speed while keeping control should really help cement everything.

Also, being a fan of technology, take a look at Wasp. You can use it to measure the pitch of your voice and make sure your relatively consistent. Just keep in mind it's not exact, so use it with a grain of salt.