Learn Simple Chinese : The FOUR MAIN TONES
In order to learn how to speak Chinese it
is necessary to learn first of all the FOUR MAIN TONES used in the Mandarin
dialect.
They are as follows:
|
(1) |
FIRST Tone: |
A High
Continuous Tone. See yourselves reciting the A, B, C, D, E and so on. That is
how it is done. |
|
(2) |
SECOND Tone |
A low to high
tone. Imagine asking someone in a rising tone. |
|
(3) |
THIRD Tone |
This is a
drawling tone. You begin high then drop down to a low and then rises to a
high. |
|
(4) |
FOURTH Tone |
This is a sharp
falling tone. Imagine saying “YES!” very confidently. |
Practise makes perfect and to help you do that
below is a simple exercise.
This simple phonetic exercise is a common
starting exercise for many beginners.
Remember even Chinese people must learn
them to begin so you are not alone.
Say,
|
Ma1 |
Ma2 |
Ma3 |
Ma4 |
In the correct tones.
You can get a Chinese friend or neighbour
to help you make the tones.
Just keep repeating until you master them.
Instead of writing numbers, tonal marks are
used in writing the Pin Yin Chinese.
The tonal marks represent the manner the
tones are to be pronounced from left to right.
Why are TONES important?
It is important because if you say it using
the wrong tone then you can convey the wrong meaning.
The “ma” written in different pin yin
tones, the Chinese writing and their meanings are as shown in the table below.
|
mā |
妈 |
mother |
|
má |
麻 |
Flax, hemp |
|
mǎ |
马 |
Horse |
|
mà |
骂 |
Scold |
So take care of your tones.
I
will be working on a project on tones so when it is ready I will update
this page and you will know.
By the way do you know that you can
communicate with your Chinese friends by corresponding in Pin Yin?