Difference between revisions of "Main Page"
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<span style="font-size:120%">Your practical, free, ''comprehensive'' online resource for Chinese pronunciation, tones, and pinyin. '''[[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] pages''' and growing!</span>
 
<span style="font-size:120%">Your practical, free, ''comprehensive'' online resource for Chinese pronunciation, tones, and pinyin. '''[[Special:Statistics|{{NUMBEROFARTICLES}}]] pages''' and growing!</span>
  
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== Pronunciation of Mandarin Chinese is not just for Beginners! ==
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<span style="font-size:120%">Truly mastering Chinese pronunciation takes some time. Follow our '''three level''', '''two-track approach''' (pinyin and tones) to effectively acquire ''all of the difficult sounds'' of Mandarin Chinese.</span>
  
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[[File:Pinyin-Chart-screenshot.png|200px|thumb|right|Pinyin Chart|link=Pinyin chart]]
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== [[A1|Beginners, start here!]] ==
  
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If you've just started learning Mandarin Chinese, you're correct to put a lot of effort into learning correct pronunciation. You really need to [[Pinyin quick start guide|learn pinyin]] right away, and we strongly recommend you take the time to familiarize yourself with our [[pinyin chart]]. If you want to know ''what pinyin is'', our article on [[Introduction to pinyin|pinyin's background]] will clear things up.
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<div class="img-group clearfix">
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[[File:A1-Pinyin-Track.png|350px|link=Pinyin quick start guide|Learn that PINYIN!]]
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[[File:A1-Tones-Track.png|350px|link=ASP00014|Learn those 4 TONES!]]
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</div>
  
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But even if you're an [[A2|elementary]] learner or an [[B1|intermediate]] learner, chances are you could still gain a lot from working a bit more on your pronunciation. Below is an example of how pronunciation topics can and ''should'' be studied across various levels.
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As a beginner, your top priorities should be:
  
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<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
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# Learning all of the [[Introduction to pinyin|sounds represented by pinyin]] ([[Pinyin chart|chart]])
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<tr>
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# Getting familiar with the [[four tones]]
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<th class="text-center">Level</th>
 
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<th>Pinyin</th>
 
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<th>Tones</th>
 
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<th>Other</th>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td class="text-center cell-large">[[A1]]</td>
 
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<td>[[Pinyin quick start guide]], [[Pinyin gotchas]]</td>
 
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<td>[[The four tones]]</td>
 
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<td>-</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td class="text-center cell-large">[[A2]]</td>
 
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<td>[[Tough sounds (basic)]], [[Erhua]]</td>
 
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<td>[[Tone change rules]]</td>
 
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<td>-</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td class="text-center cell-large">[[B1]]</td>
 
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<td>[[Tough sounds (advanced)]], [[Rare syllable]]s</td>
 
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<td>[[Tone pairs]]</td>
 
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<td>[[Accent]]s</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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<tr>
 
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<td class="text-center cell-large">[[B2]]</td>
 
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<td>-</td>
 
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<td>[[Pronunciation variant]]s</td>
 
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<td>-</td>
 
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</tr>
 
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</table>
 
  
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This is just a small sample, though. Check out the [[pronunciation points by level|growing list of pronunciation points]], divided by level.
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== [[A2|Elementary learners, this is what you need]] ==
  
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== Practice Your Tone Pairs Here! ==
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<div class="img-group clearfix">
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[[File:A2-Pinyin-Track.png|350px|link=ASP91730|Focus on TOUGH SOUNDS!]]
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[[File:A2-Tones-Track.png|350px|link=ASP00016|Master those TONE CHANGE RULES!]]
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</div>
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As an elementary learner, you should know your pinyin and four tones pretty well. Now your priorities should be:
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# Focus on perfecting the [[Tough sounds (basic)|tough sounds]] of Mandarin
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# Learn the three basic [[tone change rules]].
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== [[B1|"Intermediate" doesn't mean perfect tones...]] ==
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OK, so you know pinyin and you know the tones pretty well. But are you really good at all touch sound combinations and all tone pair combinations? Time to focus on:
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# [[Tough sounds (advanced)|Difficult tough sound combinations]]
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# All 20 [[tone pairs]]
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== [[Tone pairs|Practice Your Tone Pairs Here!]] ==
  
 
<div class="YT-container"><youtube>ZM6EKPzZ-es</youtube></div>
 
<div class="YT-container"><youtube>ZM6EKPzZ-es</youtube></div>
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[http://www.allsetlearning.com/ AllSet Learning] is a Shanghai-based learning consultancy dedicated to helping foreigners better learn Mandarin Chinese.  This wiki is maintained by [https://plus.google.com/104115976790023245464/?rel=author John Pasden] and the rest of the team at AllSet Learning.  While many of the company's services are only available to clients physically in Shanghai, this wiki is open to the public through a [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons license].
 
[http://www.allsetlearning.com/ AllSet Learning] is a Shanghai-based learning consultancy dedicated to helping foreigners better learn Mandarin Chinese.  This wiki is maintained by [https://plus.google.com/104115976790023245464/?rel=author John Pasden] and the rest of the team at AllSet Learning.  While many of the company's services are only available to clients physically in Shanghai, this wiki is open to the public through a [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ Creative Commons license].
  
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You can also find us [http://www.facebook.com/AllSetLearning on Facebook], [http://www.twitter.com/allsetlearning on Twitter], and [https://plus.google.com/b/113862655455378800247/113862655455378800247/about on Google+].
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You can also find us [http://www.facebook.com/AllSetLearning on Facebook] and [http://www.twitter.com/allsetlearning on Twitter].
  
 
'''All content on this wiki &copy; AllSet Learning, and may not be reproduced without attributions or used for commercial purposes.'''
 
'''All content on this wiki &copy; AllSet Learning, and may not be reproduced without attributions or used for commercial purposes.'''
  
 
__NOTOC__
 
__NOTOC__

Revision as of 06:12, 3 October 2020

Your practical, free, comprehensive online resource for Chinese pronunciation, tones, and pinyin. 599 pages and growing!

Truly mastering Chinese pronunciation takes some time. Follow our three level, two-track approach (pinyin and tones) to effectively acquire all of the difficult sounds of Mandarin Chinese.

Beginners, start here!

Learn that PINYIN! Learn those 4 TONES!

As a beginner, your top priorities should be:

  1. Learning all of the sounds represented by pinyin (chart)
  2. Getting familiar with the four tones

Elementary learners, this is what you need

Focus on TOUGH SOUNDS! Master those TONE CHANGE RULES!

As an elementary learner, you should know your pinyin and four tones pretty well. Now your priorities should be:

  1. Focus on perfecting the tough sounds of Mandarin
  2. Learn the three basic tone change rules.

"Intermediate" doesn't mean perfect tones...

OK, so you know pinyin and you know the tones pretty well. But are you really good at all touch sound combinations and all tone pair combinations? Time to focus on:

  1. Difficult tough sound combinations
  2. All 20 tone pairs

Practice Your Tone Pairs Here!

(There is lots more video on our tone pairs pages)

Why Do Native Speakers Pronounce Stuff Wrong??

There are quite a few words in modern Mandarin with multiple pronunciations floating around. Usually there is one "standard" pronunciation (in the dictionary), but in many cases that's the one no one really ever says! If you're a fairly advanced student (B1+), you'll want to check out our list of pronunciation variants.

About AllSet Learning

AllSet Learning is a Shanghai-based learning consultancy dedicated to helping foreigners better learn Mandarin Chinese. This wiki is maintained by John Pasden and the rest of the team at AllSet Learning. While many of the company's services are only available to clients physically in Shanghai, this wiki is open to the public through a Creative Commons license.

You can also find us on Facebook and on Twitter.

All content on this wiki © AllSet Learning, and may not be reproduced without attributions or used for commercial purposes.


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