Time it takes to pronounce understandable tones

[MPhillips]

...

Edited January 7, 2015 at 05:54 AM by MPhillips

[abcdefg]

I had not read the now-disappeared poster's other threads. Will amend my comment to read "Odd behavior comes in many flavors."

 

What surprised me most was that so many members gave helpful suggestions and encouragement, and then he just disappeared.

[MPhillips]

...

[roddy]

Will cross 'welcome pm for Borodin' off my list of things to do...

 

I'd email him or something but it's one of those anti-spam disposable email addresses, so not much point. 

[Wei]

Two observations, both of which may demystify tones and make them easier for the non-native speaker.

 

1. You can learn tones the way Chinese kids learn them, by imitating. If you have access to a native speaker, or even recordings, just strive to pronounce the words exactly as you hear them said. When they say 大 it sounds like a downward, hacking, kind of explosive syllable -- just mimic it exactly and you'll be fine. The point is that you don't want to translate the phonemes into your own native language. Try to just mimic exactly what you hear. Envision a curtain between you and an audience. You want the audience to not be able to tell the difference between you and the native speaker. So just concentrate on the syllable and on saying it exactly as they say it. This approach is easier than thinking "OMG tones!!!" and trying to do a perfect tone. Just try to say what you hear.

 

2. The other approach is a bit more formulaic and would appeal to people who like systems. If you're that kind of person, then a few hints will get you a long way. First, the fourth tone sounds obvious, like that downward hacking noise. 大， 太， 爱， etc. Get the hang of it and it's easy. Next comes the first tone, which is also obvious because it's long and high. When you always say the word with its tone, the sounds weaves its way into your understanding and you won't want to say the word any other way. The third tone has that wonderful dip to it, again, hard to confuse with anything else. That just leaves the second tone and the neutral tone... and the latter is easy because you can pretty much do what you'd do in your own native language. My point is that the first, third, and fourth tones are so distinctive that you should think of them as the difference between a "t" and a "b", or an "m" and an "n". they give the word a really distinctive shape. Thinking of them as "tones" is unhelpful because it adds an unnecessary layer of complexity. Instead, just think of them as integral parts of the pronunciation of the words themselves.

 

Best of luck.