Chinese Connected Speech

[mr.kylelong]

Hi,

 

I'm searching for something related to connected speech in Chinese.  I've searched for this here and on the internet and didn't find much. If there is a topic about this somewhere or I'm calling it by the wrong name, lemme know, thanks!

 

I'm looking for something related to elision, vowel reduction, or other examples of contracted speech.  For example "I'm going to" -> "I'm gonna" or even "I'muna."  Surely things exist like that in Chinese, right?  Lazy speakers cut corners all over the world. ;)  I did find this wonderful article on Sinosplice about how tones are connected in natural speech that is very informative.  It's worth a read:  http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2008/12/10/toward-better-tones-in-natural-speech

 

Apart from that I haven't been able to find much.  I'd like more info on reduced tones if it's out there but I am especially interested in the non-tonal phonemic reductions.  Can anyone recommend anything?

 

Thanks.

[歐博思]

Hi. Excluding yours, this  popped up #1 using the search bar and your exact thread title. 

[Yorin]

Can't come up with any example of such a reduction on the scope of a single syllable. But on the scope of words and sentences, there are lots of opportunities to leave out whole syllables and words here and there, more so than in any other language I know. Now, I've just been learning the language for three years, but the longer I've been learning, the stronger my impression that the Chinese have perfected this kind of reduction into an art form. That constructing an elegant Chinese text can sometimes be compared to reducing a painting to a sketch, trimming away everything unnecessary, but keeping it's soul with just a few precise brush strokes. That Chinese is often an excersise in letting go as much as you can without loosing anything.

I'm just not sure if these kind of reductions are what you want to know about.

[mr.kylelong]

Thanks a lot!  Not sure how that thread didn't pop up on my search.  I must have made a mistake.

 

That Duanmu recommendation was exactly what I was looking for.  Has anyone read it and can give an opinion?  I've read as much as Amazon's "look inside" will let me read and it seems really solid and interesting.

 

@Yorin  That's an interesting analogy with reducing down to a painting, a work of art.  I think that so cool.

 

I'd like to find a website that outlines some basic rules for connected speech.  The internet is littered with pages that explain it in English but I can't find any for Chinese.  Has anyone come across anything?

[roddy]

Yorin, that's not really the same thing. Connected speech is how we change words to make 'em easier to say. Tell me if you're not sure. 

 

So for example in the above, you're only going to get one 'w' sound in 'how we', and you'll insert a 'y' in 'me if'. This stuff is tricky to think about, because as soon as you start thinking about it you talk more carefully and stop doing it. 

 

Olle did a write-up on the San Duanmu book if you want to have a look. 

[opsidd]

不好意思： buais

[Yorin]

 

Yorin, that's not really the same thing. Connected speech is how we change words to make 'em easier to say. Tell me if you're not sure.

 

Gotta thankya for pointin' it out, it's all clear to me now.