Difference between revisions of "Accent"
(Created page with "{{AKA|口音 (kǒuyīn)}} Even if a Chinese speaker is speaking standard Mandarin, certain pronunciation choices will result in some kind of '''accent'''. == Accent Fea...") |
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{{AKA|口音 (kǒuyīn)}} | {{AKA|口音 (kǒuyīn)}} | ||
| − | Even if a Chinese speaker is speaking [[standard Mandarin]], certain pronunciation choices will result in some kind of '''accent'''. | + | Even if a Chinese speaker is speaking [[standard Mandarin]], certain pronunciation habits and/pr word use choices will result in some kind of '''accent'''. |
== Accent Features == | == Accent Features == | ||
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* word choice (e.g. 花菜 (huācài) vs. 菜花 (càihuā), 轻轨 (qingguǐ) vs. 捷运 (jiéyùn), etc.) | * word choice (e.g. 花菜 (huācài) vs. 菜花 (càihuā), 轻轨 (qingguǐ) vs. 捷运 (jiéyùn), etc.) | ||
* use of modal particles (啊 (a), 呗 (bei), 啦 (la), 哦 (o), etc.) | * use of modal particles (啊 (a), 呗 (bei), 啦 (la), 哦 (o), etc.) | ||
| + | * Sentence intonation patterns | ||
Having an accent does not necessarily mean a speaker's Mandarin is not "standard"; it means that the speaker's Mandarin has been influenced by the region where the speaker comes from (which is true of pretty much everyone's Mandarin). | Having an accent does not necessarily mean a speaker's Mandarin is not "standard"; it means that the speaker's Mandarin has been influenced by the region where the speaker comes from (which is true of pretty much everyone's Mandarin). | ||
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=== Dongbei Mandarin === | === Dongbei Mandarin === | ||
| − | * | + | * Moderate use of [er-hua] |
* Pronounced syllable-final "-ng" | * Pronounced syllable-final "-ng" | ||
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| − | |||
| − | |||
| − | |||
* Non-standard tones | * Non-standard tones | ||
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* Syllable-final "-ng" sounds often pronounced as "-n" | * Syllable-final "-ng" sounds often pronounced as "-n" | ||
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* Initials [[zh-]], [[ch-]], [[sh-]] pronounced as [[z-]], [[c-]], [[s-]] | * Initials [[zh-]], [[ch-]], [[sh-]] pronounced as [[z-]], [[c-]], [[s-]] | ||
* Relative lack of [[er-hua]] | * Relative lack of [[er-hua]] | ||
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* Initials [[zh-]], [[ch-]], [[sh-]] pronounced as [[z-]], [[c-]], [[s-]] | * Initials [[zh-]], [[ch-]], [[sh-]] pronounced as [[z-]], [[c-]], [[s-]] | ||
* Initial [[n-]] pronounced as [[l-]] | * Initial [[n-]] pronounced as [[l-]] | ||
| + | * Initial [[h-]] pronounced as [[f-]] | ||
* Relative lack of [[er-hua]] | * Relative lack of [[er-hua]] | ||
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* Relative lack of [[neutral tone]] | * Relative lack of [[neutral tone]] | ||
| − | == | + | == Accent Chart == |
| − | + | The "+" indicates abundance of a feature, whereas "-" indicates a relative lack of a feature. | |
| − | + | ||
| + | <table class="accents"> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <th>Region</th> | ||
| + | <th>Er-hua</th> | ||
| + | <th>-ng</th> | ||
| + | <th>zh-/ch-/shi-</th> | ||
| + | <th>n- vs. l-</th> | ||
| + | <th>h- vs. f-</th> | ||
| + | <th>r- vs. l-</th> | ||
| + | <th>neutral tone</th> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>Northern</td> | ||
| + | <td class="plus">+</td> | ||
| + | <td class="plus">+</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td class="plus">+</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>Dongbei</td> | ||
| + | <td class="plus">+</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td class="plus">+</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>Southern</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>Hunan</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>Fujian</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | <tr> | ||
| + | <td>Taiwan</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td></td> | ||
| + | <td class="minus">-</td> | ||
| + | </tr> | ||
| + | </table> | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Chinese Varieties of Chinese] | * Wikipedia: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varieties_of_Chinese Varieties of Chinese] | ||
Revision as of 13:49, 21 February 2015
- Also known as: 口音 (kǒuyīn).
Even if a Chinese speaker is speaking standard Mandarin, certain pronunciation habits and/pr word use choices will result in some kind of accent.
Contents
Accent Features
Examples of accent features include:
- presence or absence of er-hua
- prominence of the final "-ng" consonant
- word choice (e.g. 花菜 (huācài) vs. 菜花 (càihuā), 轻轨 (qingguǐ) vs. 捷运 (jiéyùn), etc.)
- use of modal particles (啊 (a), 呗 (bei), 啦 (la), 哦 (o), etc.)
- Sentence intonation patterns
Having an accent does not necessarily mean a speaker's Mandarin is not "standard"; it means that the speaker's Mandarin has been influenced by the region where the speaker comes from (which is true of pretty much everyone's Mandarin).
Strong Accents
That said, there is such thing as a "strong accent" in Mandarin, which typically means "non-standard." Some features of strong accents include:
- weird tones
- sound substitutions (e.g. "-n" for "-ng," etc.)
- difficult to understand word choice (because the speaker doesn't realize that a word or expression he is using is not widely understood outside of his region)
- strange grammar
Certain accents have well-known features, and advanced learners of Mandarin Chinese can learn these features to improve communication with speakers of non-standard Mandarin.
Northern Mandarin
- Extensive use of [er-hua]
- Pronounced syllable-final "-ng"
- Lack of social stigma (because Beijing is the cultural center of mainland China)
Dongbei Mandarin
- Moderate use of [er-hua]
- Pronounced syllable-final "-ng"
- Non-standard tones
Southern Mandarin
- Syllable-final "-ng" sounds often pronounced as "-n"
- Initials zh-, ch-, sh- pronounced as z-, c-, s-
- Relative lack of er-hua
Hunan Mandarin
- Syllable-final "-ng" sounds often pronounced as "-n"
- Initials zh-, ch-, sh- pronounced as z-, c-, s-
Fujian Mandarin
- Syllable-final "-ng" sounds often pronounced as "-n"
- Initials zh-, ch-, sh- pronounced as z-, c-, s-
- Initial n- pronounced as l-
- Initial h- pronounced as f-
- Relative lack of er-hua
Taiwanese Mandarin
- Syllable-final "-ng" sounds often pronounced as "-n"
- Initials zh-, ch-, sh- pronounced as z-, c-, s-
- Relative lack of er-hua
- Relative lack of neutral tone
Accent Chart
The "+" indicates abundance of a feature, whereas "-" indicates a relative lack of a feature.
| Region | Er-hua | -ng | zh-/ch-/shi- | n- vs. l- | h- vs. f- | r- vs. l- | neutral tone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern | + | + | + | ||||
| Dongbei | + | + | |||||
| Southern | - | - | - | ||||
| Hunan | - | ||||||
| Fujian | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Taiwan | - | - | - | - |
See also
- Wikipedia: Varieties of Chinese
