Difference between revisions of "Tone pair"
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== The 20 pairs ==
 
== The 20 pairs ==
  
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=== 1-1 ===
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There are '''20 tone pairs''' because there are [[four tones|four main tones]] and one [[neutral tone]], but a neutral tone can never be the first syllable in a word or phrase.
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=== 1-2 ===
 
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=== 1-3 ===
 
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=== 1-4 ===
 
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=== 1-0 ===
 
  
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=== 2-1 ===
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<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
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=== 2-2 ===
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<tr>
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=== 2-3 ===
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<th> </th>
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=== 2-4 ===
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<th>1st Tone</th>
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=== 2-0 ===
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<th>2nd Tone</th>
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<th>3rd Tone</th>
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<th>4th Tone</th>
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<th>Neutral Tone</th>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>1st Tone</td>
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<td>1-1</td>
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<td>1-2</td>
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<td>1-3</td>
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<td>1-4</td>
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<td>1-0</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>2nd Tone</td>
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<td>2-1</td>
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<td>2-2</td>
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<td>2-3</td>
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<td>2-4</td>
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<td>2-0</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>3rd Tone</td>
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<td>3-1</td>
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<td>3-2</td>
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<td>3-3*</td>
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<td>3-4</td>
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<td>3-0</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td>4th Tone</td>
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<td>4-1</td>
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<td>4-2</td>
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<td>4-3</td>
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<td>4-4</td>
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<td>4-0</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
  
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=== 3-1 ===
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* You might be tempted to think that 3-3 doesn't count, because after the [[tone change rules|tone change]] it's the same as 2-3. But actually, you really need to practice this tone change as part of a tone pair, so you'll definitely want to practice 3-3 pairs, just like all the others.
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=== 3-2 ===
 
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=== 3-3 ===
 
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=== 3-4 ===
 
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=== 3-0 ===
 
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=== 4-1 ===
 
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=== 4-2 ===
 
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=== 4-3 ===
 
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=== 4-4 ===
 
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=== 4-0 ===
 
  
 
== Sources and further reading ==
 
== Sources and further reading ==

Revision as of 16:14, 26 March 2015

Tone pairs are an important unit of pronunciation to focus on as learner's tones gradually improve.

The concept

The 20 pairs

There are 20 tone pairs because there are four main tones and one neutral tone, but a neutral tone can never be the first syllable in a word or phrase.

1st Tone 2nd Tone 3rd Tone 4th Tone Neutral Tone
1st Tone 1-1 1-2 1-3 1-4 1-0
2nd Tone 2-1 2-2 2-3 2-4 2-0
3rd Tone 3-1 3-2 3-3* 3-4 3-0
4th Tone 4-1 4-2 4-3 4-4 4-0
  • You might be tempted to think that 3-3 doesn't count, because after the tone change it's the same as 2-3. But actually, you really need to practice this tone change as part of a tone pair, so you'll definitely want to practice 3-3 pairs, just like all the others.

Sources and further reading

Websites

Videos


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