retroflex?? --> 儿

[mr.stinky]

so what is the retroflex? i have checked several textbooks and under the heading

"retroflexion with -er" they offer only the statement "er is often added to another

final to make it retroflexed." of course, they never explain what retroflexion is, when

it is used, or why.

the closest to an explanation i can find is: to form a diminutive. (like the german "lein" or "chen") none of my instructors can explain it, other than it's for the sound. but then

it completely changes the sound of the noun, such that if you've never seen the word

before, you'd never guess at the correct pinyin.

[HashiriKata]

(a) When you talk about retroflex, you're talking about the position/ shape of your tongue.

(B) When you talk about a diminutive form, you're talking about the function of a language element.

© When you talk about the Chinese 儿, you should talk about how to produce it (= a), or about what it is for (not necessarily = B).

"Retroflex" basically means your tongue is curled (= flex) back(= retro), similar to the position of your tongue when you say "sh", "r" or "ch" in Chinese.

[jimba_the_hut]

My professor atn Uni explained it like this:

with the tip of your tongue touch your teeth. Move your tongue backwards until u reach the point where it begins to ascend. Following the roof of your mouth move the tip of your toungue so that it is somewhat rolled backwards... then do the old sh, ch and r sounds. Sounds alot different yah.