Syllable Initials 1
Slightly Different From English
The following consonants sounds do NOT exist in English. But they are very similar to sounds that DO exist in English. It only takes slight modifications to make the correct sounds, so you might as well learn it now.
The Voiceless Velar Fricative
The voiceless velar fricative is perhaps the most important sound for you to learn. As an English speaker, you might perceive this sound as an /h/, as in the word "how"," but it is NOT the same sound.
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Once you think you are comfortable with this sound, try to produce it in the context of real Mandarin syllables. Remember, even though pinyin spells this sound with an "h", it is NOT the same as the English "h". Listen closely to the entire audio and then try to go through all the sounds on your own.
ha...hai...han...hang...hao...he...hei...hen...heng...hong...hou...hu...hua...huai...huan...huang...hui...hun...huo
The Retroflex Rhotic
If you say the English word "reduce," you will notice that in saying "re", your tongue moves back so that the tongue is touching the back part of the roof of your mouth.
For the Mandarin version of the "r" sound, your tongue moves straight DOWN, and NOT touch the back of the roof of your mouth. It helps to jut your lower jaw out a bit to achieve this effect.
For the Mandarin version of the "r" sound, your tongue moves straight DOWN, and NOT touch the back of the roof of your mouth. It helps to jut your lower jaw out a bit to achieve this effect.
ran...rang...rao...re....ren...reng...ri*...rong...rou...ru..ruan...rui....run...ruo
Many Mandarin accents (including the Beijing accent) will actually articulate this sound. This is the same sound as in the English words "vision" or "measure."
Here, the tongue for the normal "r" sound has raises so high that there is actual contact between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, creating that friction discussed earlier. If you are learning Mandarin for the purposes of speaking to Beijingers, you might prefer speaking with this sound.
Here, the tongue for the normal "r" sound has raises so high that there is actual contact between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, creating that friction discussed earlier. If you are learning Mandarin for the purposes of speaking to Beijingers, you might prefer speaking with this sound.
Y
There actually is not much difference between the "y" in Mandarin and the English "y". To sound more authentic, try raising your tongue just little bit higher (closer to roof of the mouth) and contract it down faster for the following vowel sound (the English "y" is kind of slow and lazy, like in the word "yeah").
ya...yai...yan...yang...yao...ye...yin...ying...yong...you
As you can hear the pronunciation is pretty much the same as in English. The main reason I include it here is because it has quite a few syllables whose "finals" are slightly different from the normal pattern. For "yi" the "y" sound is completely dropped in most accents. For "yu, yue and yuan", the lips are rounded, so that the "u" is actually pronounced like a "ü". Listen closely and mimic exactly.
yi...yu...yue...yuan
Slightly Different Than English Consonants Submissoin
Now that you are familiar with all the above Mandarin vowel sounds and their pinyin spellings, it's time to narrow down the few sounds that are problematic for you.
Once your account is set up, you will record yourself clearly articulating each of the syllables found on the table below and then email them to [email protected].
- Unlike my fast recordings, be sure to leave a clear space between each syllable so that I can more easily pinpoint it on your uploaded track.
- Read the chart row-by-row, from left to right, working your way down.
- Title your track: Mandarin Syllable Initials Part 1 - Your Name
Once you have successfully submitted your recording, you may move on to the "Easy Aspirated Consonants".