Difference between revisions of "Tone pair"

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#REDIRECT[[Tone pairs]]
{{Pronunciation Box}}
 
 
 
'''Tone pairs''' are an important unit of pronunciation to focus on as learner's tones gradually improve.
 
 
 
== The concept ==
 
 
 
Most learners can accurately pronounce the tone of a single syllable after enough practice. But they find that once they try to pronounce two tones in a row, it all falls apart: they get the second one totally wrong, or the first, or even both. Stringing tones together is a skill that needs to be practiced, and the foundation for this skill is to practice every combination of tones in the smallest unit possible: '''tone pairs'''.
 
 
 
The logic here is pretty clear: if you can string two tones together accurately, you can build on that, stringing more and more together, until you can do whole sentences. This is not a quick process, however. You're going to need quite a bit of practice, and you should expect this practice to take up a good chunk of your pronunciation practice as an elementary (A2) learner.
 
 
 
== The 20 pairs ==
 
 
 
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.
 
 
 
<table class="table table-striped table-bordered table-hover">
 
<tr>
 
<th> </th>
 
<th>+ 1st Tone</th>
 
<th>+ 2nd Tone</th>
 
<th>+ 3rd Tone</th>
 
<th>+ 4th Tone</th>
 
<th>+ Neutral Tone</th>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<td>1st Tone</td>
 
<td>[[1-1]]</td>
 
<td>[[1-2]]</td>
 
<td>[[1-3]]</td>
 
<td>[[1-4]]</td>
 
<td>[[1-0]]</td>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<td>2nd Tone</td>
 
<td>[[2-1]]</td>
 
<td>[[2-2]]</td>
 
<td>[[2-3]]</td>
 
<td>[[2-4]]</td>
 
<td>[[2-0]]</td>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<td>3rd Tone</td>
 
<td>[[3-1]]</td>
 
<td>[[3-2]]</td>
 
<td>[[3-3]]❋</td>
 
<td>[[3-4]]</td>
 
<td>[[3-0]]</td>
 
</tr>
 
<tr>
 
<td>4th Tone</td>
 
<td>[[4-1]]</td>
 
<td>[[4-2]]</td>
 
<td>[[4-3]]</td>
 
<td>[[4-4]]</td>
 
<td>[[4-0]]</td>
 
</tr>
 
</table>
 
 
 
❋ 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.
 
 
 
== Sources and further reading ==
 
 
 
=== Websites ===
 
 
 
* Sinosplice: [http://www.sinosplice.com/learn-chinese/learning-tones The Process Of Learning Tones]
 
* Sinosplice: [http://www.sinosplice.com/learn-chinese/tone-pair-drills Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills], [http://www.sinosplice.com/life/archives/2006/10/29/new-feature-mandarin-chinese-tone-pair-drills New Feature: Mandarin Chinese Tone Pair Drills]
 
* Hacking Chinese: [http://www.hackingchinese.com/focusing-on-tone-pairs-to-improve-your-mandarin-pronunciation/ Focusing on tone pairs to improve your Mandarin pronunciation]
 
* About.com: [http://mandarin.about.com/od/How-to-learn-Mandarin-Chinese/fl/How-tone-pairs-can-improve-your-Mandarin-pronunciation.htm How tone pairs can improve your Mandarin pronunciation]
 
 
 
=== Videos ===
 
 
 
* YouTube: [[https://youtu.be/3wV8B4bx1lM?t=8m16s The Most Effective Way to Learn Mandarin Tones - Tone Pairs - Google Hangout with Yangyang]] (08:16-27:18)
 
 
 
[[Category:Tones]]
 
{{Basic Pronunciation|B1|10|It's not enough to know the tones; you need to PRACTICE them in each combination, until it becomes second nature.|tone|ASP00018}}
 
{{Related|Four tones}}
 
{{Related|Tone change rules}}
 

Latest revision as of 08:00, 1 April 2020

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