Official Mandarin Lessons 中文國語 (国语) | Page 1 | Foreign Language Lessons | Guild Forums

Hiyukura

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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:00 pm

Official Mandarin Lessons 中文國語 (国语)

Welcome! I will be your lǎo shī (老師) for Mandarin!
Yes, I got permission to teach Mandarin, as I speak Mandarin Chinese Fluently. (Also Cantonese, but I will not be teaching Cantonese.)
You may ask me questions about Mandarin in this thread, do a few exercises that I post up, or just try talking to me in Mandarin. If you do make any errors in any of the exercises or sentences you post, I will quote you and tell why you made an error, and ask you to try again.
Just so you know, Mandarin Chinese is the main language spoken in China. Villages, City, Northern, everywhere. There are many dialects of Chinese, Cantonese, Xiaoerjing, etc. China has a total of 293 different languages, with 292 living languages and 1 extinct language (Jurchen).
Mandarin Chinese while not the most widely spoken language in the world is the language spoken by the most people around the world.
It's hard to say how many people speak Mandarin world wide. Due to the countries national language or required learning languages include Mandarin Chinese the following can be assumed:
Population of China: 1.4 billion
Population of Taiwan: 23 million
Population of Singapore: 4.58 million
Total of three countries: 1.427 billion
(Figures are approximations as of June 200 cool
This doesn't include the Chinese that have immigrated to other countries. Nor does it include countries where their may be other Mandarin speakers such as Malaysia. The ultimate figure would possibly be much higher.
So great. You're going to add 1+ to the 1.427 billion + that already speaks it. Great to have you.
You may be thinking "Whoa wait. Chinese characters are the same as the Japanese Characters in Kanji... or is it the Kanji is the same as the Chinese Characters?"
Well, I'm not teaching history of China, but it is said that the Japanese originated from China. Perhaps not, but it's a theory that the Emperor of China sent servants to Japan to get this plant that is said to make human lives eternal. The servants went, and, without finding any of the miracle plants, they decided to live in the place they now named Japan.
Excuse me if the story is changed a little, my mother told me the story when I was 5. Feel free to PM me the real story if I made a small change.
The Japanese adopted the Chinese Characters. At first, they only used Chinese Characters, then people started creating Hirigana and Kanatana. At first, all the girls would learn the two alphabets, but soon it became more used and the men learned it too. Now Kanji, Hirigana, and Kanatana are used in Japan. (Sorry if I put some Japanese History in it. It involves the Chinese History to avoid confusion. stressed )
Okay, okay. I get it. I typed A LOTTT for a first post.
Let's go on to the next posts, shall we? :3

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:35 pm

About the Chinese Language

Okay, so before we hop in, I'm going to save you a few breaths of questions.
There are two different types of Characters. Simplified and Chinese. I will be teaching you both. Simplified is used in many parts of China, while other places use Traditional. Simplified is just an altered version of Traditional, since the Traditional character is most likely a very complicated character to write.
So, in Chinese, we have something called Pinyin.
Pinyin is basically how the word sounds by using our English Alphabet.
Such as... I said lǎo shī in the first post, didn't I?
Yes, that is how 老師 (teacher) would sound out.
Okay, yes. You're confused. It's like Japanese. They use Romanji for how the character sounds. Get it now?
Oh, and you see the little lines ontop of the letters. Ugh. What a bother.
Okay so, this will make Mandarin a little bit harder to learn.
Unlike English, Mandarin has about one pinyin for 4 - 10 different meanings. (Sometimes, one Pinyin means 20 words! OUCH!)
Let's take this for example.
日 rì and 馹 rì
Same Pinyin. I'll explain the lines above the i's later.
So, you say them in the same sentence, but they aren't the same meaning.one may say 今天是12月9日。
Meaning, Today is December 9th.
In this sentence, the rì is used as day. Yes, in China, we use 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. to date the dates. (Ha. Date the dates?)
In the sentence, the 12 is the Month, not the date. If it was November, it would be 11. October? 10. February? 2. Get it now? And the 9 means the day. If it was December 10th, you would put 10 before the 日.
If you stuck 馹 in there and made it...
今天是12月9馹。
No one would understand what you're trying to say. (Though some people may ask if you meant 今天是12月9日。)
So while you are learning Chinese characters, be sure to know what it means.
Okay, Ayu. You had enough, I know. WHAT THE HECK ARE THESE LINES ONTOP OF THOSE LETTERS? (a, o, e, i, u, ü are the only ones that can have lines ontop of them)
Well, the Chinese language is famous for it's tonal language.
ba with a first tone can mean "eight"
ba with a second tone can mean "sacrifice"
ba with a third tone can mean "hold"
ba with a fourth tone can mean "father"
ba with a neutral tone can be used to indicate polite suggestion
The first tone looks like: -
The second tone looks like: /
The third tone looks like: v
the fourth tone looks like:
(Sorry. I couldn't find symbols for it, so I used dashes and v's. Hehe.)
Tones are represented in Chinese using four different diacritic marks. Diacritics are used in the orthographies of many languages, such as French, Greek, and Hebrew. These are small marks placed above, below, or between letters, and are often used to change a letter's sound value.
Using Hanyu pinyin, the four tones are represented with diacritics placed above one letter in each syllable. These are: a straight line, a rising line, a dipping line (much like a shallow "u" shape), and a falling line. A neutral tone is indicated by omitting a diacritic mark.
I don't know how to explain how they sound like, and hopefully there will be a website where it shows you the difference of these 4 sounds in my "Resources" post. If I don't have a website there, but you know one, feel free to give it to me to post it on the Resources page!
Oh and, one character means one thing. Chinese isn't like Hirigana or Kanatana in Japanese, you have to memorize ALL the characters. Kind of hard, isn't it? However, if you are determined to learn, I'm absolutely sure you can overcome it! Okay, I'm sorry for the long post. :<

Hiyukura

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Hiyukura

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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:46 pm

Lessons

Lessons will be posted around the thread!
Just so you don't have to go hunting for a particular Lesson, I posted a link to the page/post where the Lesson is at!
*NOTE: If the Lesson says TBP, it means To be posted, which means the Lesson has not been posted yet. If it says Posted, (obviously), it means it has been posted, and feel free to click the URL to the post!

Lesson 1 - Posted on 12/30/2010 - Everyday Words/Essential Words
Lesson 2 - TBP - Let's learn a few Nouns!
Lesson 3 - TBP - Let's learn a few Verbs!
Lesson 4 - TBP - Let's learn a few Adjectives!
Lesson 5 - TBP - Sentence Structures and how to make a literate one.
Lesson 6 - TBP - Practice & Do your work
Lesson 7 - TBP - Random Words
Lesson 8 - TBP - Random Words
Lesson 9 - TBP - Random Words
Lesson 10 - TBP - Random Words
Lesson 11 - TBP - How to Improve your Sentence
Lesson 12 - TBP - Let's Practice!

&& I will plan more in the future.
Please note that I want to make at least 2 Lessons a week. Due to real life, if I can't do that, I will make sure I post at least 1 Lesson a week, and I will make sure I answer all your questions ASAP.

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 8:57 pm

Resources

Mandarin Tools, thank you for being an awesome dictionary. I can always trust you. heart
Google for letting me actually research this stuff to know I am correct. Love you! heart

Helpful Websites from Students

Have an awesome website you want to share with others? Feel free to post them in the thread, and I'll link it here!

Learn to write Chinese Characters Correctly. Be sure to look at this page to see how to write Chinese characters in order! (If you don't, the character comes out ugly and messy. If you don't know the order, you can't write Chinese Cursive either!)

Hiyukura

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Hiyukura

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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:03 pm

Students (Trad: 學 Simp: 学)生 (xué sheng)

If you would like to be listed here, please post here telling me you would like to be a student!

1. PadawanCyn
2. Pandora the Wonderful
3. iixKBiix
4. ???
5. ???

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:08 pm

Teachers 老師 (lǎo shī)

Of course I need other people to help me plan and figure out how to make these Lessons better. Are you fluent/proficient in Mandarin Chinese? PM me!

1. Ayukura
2. ???
3. ???

Hiyukura

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Hiyukura

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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:20 pm

Mandarin Pinyin Alphabet

Yeah. You guys are TOTALLY not going to read all of this. I don't blame you.

b, p, m, f,
d, t, n, l,
g, k, h,
j, q, x,
z, c, s,
zh, ch, sh, r
a, e, i, o, u, ü
ai, ao, ei, ia, iao, ie, iou, ou, ua, uai, üe, uei, uo
an, en, ian, in, uan, üan, uen, ün
ang, eng, iang, ing, iong, ong, uang, ueng

Initial Sounds
Some sound like English consonants, but with a few different ways. Please try to get all of this accurate as best you can! Study hard and learn it by heart! scream

b As in English, but with no vibrations in the vocal cords. Like an English "p" with no exhalation!
p As in English, but with strong exhalation!
m As in English.
f As in English.

d As in English, but with no vibrations in the vocal cords. Like an English "t" with no exhalation!
t As in English, but with strong exhalation!
n As in English.
l As in English.
Velar: formed with the back of the tongue close to or touching the soft part of the roof of the mouth.

g As in English, but with no vibrations in the vocal cords. Like an English "k" with no exhalation! As the "g" in "girl", "go".
k As in English, but with strong exhalation!
h Audible and strong!
Palatal: formed with the back and middle of the tongue close to or touching the roof of the mouth.

The syllables "ji", "qi" and "xi" all contain similar "ch"-like sounds.
j Sounds like the "dj"-sound in "jam", "jump", with minimal exhalation. Similar to the Pinyin letter "q", but without exhalation!
q Similar to the Pinyin letter "j", but with strong exhalation! As the ending sound in "watch", "switch" and the "ch" in "cheese".
x Sounds like the English "ch" as in "church", but without the "t"-sound at the beginning. Also comparable with the "ch" in "chock". In some Chinese dialects pronounced just as "s".
Dental sibilant: formed with the tip of the tongue close to or touching the back of the upper front teeth.

z Pronounced as the Pinyin letters "d" + "s". Similar to the Pinyin letter "c", but with no exhalation! Compare with English words such as "cats", "hats".
c Pronounced as the Pinyin letters "t" + "s". Similar to Pinyin "z", but with strong exhalation! Comparable with the "tsh"-sound in "it's heavy".
s As in English.
Retroflex: formed with the tongue curled back so that it touches (or almost touches) the hard part of the roof of the mouth.

zh In this sound, the tongue is thrown forward from the curled back position. Rather similar to the "dj"-sound in "jam", "jewels", "George".
ch In this sound, the tongue is thrown forward from the curled back position. Rather similar to the "tch"-sound in "church", "chain".
sh This sound is pronounced with the tongue resting in the curled back position. Somewhat similar to the "sh"-sound in "wash", "shower".
r This sound is pronounced with the tongue vibrating in the curled back position. Somewhat similar to the "r"-sound in "war", "raw".

w As in English. Special case: the syllable "wu" is pronounced as the Pinyin "u" (the letter "w" is in this case used to mark the beginning of a new syllable. See the following descriptions of simple finals!
y As in the words "yes", "yet". Special cases: the syllable "yi is pronounced as the Pinyin "i" #1 and the syllable "yu" is pronounced as the Pinyin "ü" (the letter "y" is in these cases used to mark the beginning of new syllables). See the following descriptions of simple finals!

a As the "a" in "far" and "father".
e / ê 1: As the English "e" in "send", "very.
2: If the "e" stands as a single vowel at the end of a syllable (e.g. "de", "ne", "zhe"), the pronunciation becomes more similar to the vowel sound in "bird" and "sir".
3: Note the special cases: "er" and "eng"!
Comment: If the "e" is the only phoneme in a syllable, pronunciation of type #1 is transcribed as "ê", and pronunciation of type #2 as "e".
i / yi 1: As the vowels in "sit", "it", "machine". The spelling "yi" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
2: When preceded by "c", "s" or "z" (dental sibilants), you get a sound like a mosquito buzzing ("ziii...").
3: In the syllables "chi", "shi", "zhi" and "ri" (retroflexes), the entire syllable is pronounced as one retroflex sound. Pronounce all letters of the syllable with your tongue curled back!
o As the vowels in "saw", "all". Exception: the combination "ong" (back nasal)!
u / wu As the vowel "o" in "too", "woman", "loop". The spelling "wu" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable. Special cases: In syllables beginning with "ju", "qu", "xu" and "yu", the "u" is to be pronounced as an "ü".
ü / yu As the German "ü". Try to say "yeee", keep your tongue exactly where it is and let the sound continue while you form your lips to the shape they'd have when you say "yuuu".
Compound finals = two or three vowels together.

Mandarin Pinyin English Equivalent
ai As the "ai"-sounds in "byes", "bike", "high".
ao As the "ow" in "how", "down".
ei As the "ay"-sounds in "cake", "say".
ia / ya As the "ya"-sounds in "maya", "playa". The spelling "ya" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
iao / yao As the "ya"-sounds in "maya", "playa" followed by an English "w". The spelling "yao" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
ie / ye As a combination of the Pinyin sounds "y" + "ê" – i.e. NOT quite as the English "ye", as in "yes", but rather "tight"! The spelling "ye" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
iou / iu / you The spelling "iou" is never used, but describes the sound best. Pronounced as a Pinyin "y" + the English "ow"-sounds in "go", "note", "row". The spelling "you" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
ou As the "ow"-sounds in "go", "note", "row".
ua / wa As an English "w" followed by a Pinyin "a". Compare with the final vowels in the Italian word "acqua". The most probable English spelling of this sound would be "wah". Do NOT pronounce this combination as the English "wa"-sounds in "water" or "Wales"! The spelling "wa" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
uai / wai English "w" + Pinyin "ai". Compare with the English word "why". The spelling "wai" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
ue / üe / yue Pinyin "ü" + "ê". The "ü" is written as "u" in the syllables "jue", "que", "xue" and "yue". The spelling "yue" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
uei / ui / wei The spelling "uei" is never used, but describes the sound best. Compare with the initial sounds in "waiter", "wage". Try to pronounce the "ê", even if it is not explicitly written a syllable such as "hui". The spelling "wei" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
uo / wo Sounds like "woah", but the "a" is hardly audible. Similar to the "wuo"-sounds in "war", "quark". The spelling "wo" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
Nasal finals = single or compound vowel followed by "n" or "ng".

Nasals are pronounced through the nose. In Mandarin Chinese, sounds ending in "n" (an alveolar nasal) are known as front nasals, while sounds ending in "ng (a velar nasal) are known as back nasals.

Front nasals = sounds through the nose formed with the tongue in the front of the mouth (i.e. in alveolar position).

Mandarin Pinyin English Equivalent
an This "a" is similar to the Chinese "a" as described above. Can possibly be compared with the "an" in "Russian". Do NOT pronounce this combination as the English "an" in "man" and "manager"!
en "e" #2 + "n". Usually as the "en" in "men", but sometimes more similar to the "urn" in "burning" or "fern" with practically no sound of the "r".
ian / yan Pinyin "y" + "an", but here the "an" becomes broader, as in "man", "manager". The spelling "yan" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
in / yin As in English ("bin"). The spelling "yin" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
uan / wan Pinyin "u" + "an". In "juan", "quan", "xuan" and "yuan", the "u" is pronounced as "ü". The spelling "wan" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
üan / yuan Pinyin "ü" + "an", but here the "an" becomes broader, as in "man", "manager". This sound occurs only in the syllables "juan", "quan", "xuan" and "yuan", and is then spelled with a "u".
uen / un / wen The spelling "uen" is never used, but describes the sound best. If a syllable begins with a different consonant than "w", the pronunciation is Pinyin "u" + an almost inaudible "e" #2 + "n". When there is no initial consonant, this sound is spelled "wen", and the pronunciation is an English "w" + Pinyin "en".
ün / yun Pinyin "ü" + "n". This sound occurs only in the syllables "jun", "qun", "xun" and "yun", and is then spelled with a "u".
Back nasals = sounds through the nose formed with the tongue in the back of the mouth (i.e. in velar position).

Mandarin Pinyin English Equivalent
ang This "a" is similar to the Chinese "a" as described above, followed by an "ng"-sound. Do NOT pronounce this combination as the broad "ang" in "language"!
eng "e" #2 + "ng" (almost similar to the "ang" in "language", but the "e" has a little "taste" of the vowel sound in "bird" and "sir").
iang / yang Pinyin "y" + "ang". The spelling "yang" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
ing / ying As in English ("sing"). The spelling "ying" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
iong / yong This syllable corresponds to the Pinyin "y" + "u" + "ng". The "o" is here most similar to the "o"-sound in "too", "woman", "loop". The spelling "yong" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
ong This syllable corresponds to the Pinyin "u" + "ng". The "o" is here most similar to the "o"-sound in "too", "woman", "loop".
uang / wang English "w" + Pinyin "ang". The spelling "wang" is used when there is no consonant in the beginning of a syllable.
ueng / weng This sound only occurs in the syllable "weng". Pronounced as English "w" + Pinyin "eng".

Special Cases - additional syllables

er Rather similar to the vowel sound in "bird" and "sir", with an audible retroflex "r" at the end. Sometimes more like the English word "are". Could possibly be written as "ehr" in English. Pronounced as a retroflex.
hm Pronounced as in English. This syllable is only used as an interjection.
hng Pronounced as a Pinyin "h" + a back nasal. This syllable is only used as an interjection.
m Pronounced as in English. This syllable is only used as an interjection.
n Pronounced as in English. This syllable is only used as an interjection.
ng Pronounced as a back nasal. This syllable is only used as an interjection.
~r Sometimes the syllable "er" () is added to the end of words – especially on nouns. This is most common in Chinese spoken by people from Beijing. If the "" is written in a text, and is to be interpreted as a suffix rather than "er2" = "child", then the transcription is usually written only as "r" (e.g. "yi4 dian3r" = "a little"). Basically, this added "~r" changes the pronunciation of the previous syllable, so that the entire final part of the syllable is pronounced as a retroflex with an "~r" at the end. In short, the "~r" moves the pronunciation of the syllable backwards in the mouth.

(Since I suck at explaining what it sounds like, I used This website to help.)

Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:21 pm

Numbers 1 - 100

To be posted on 1/1/2011.

Hiyukura

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Hiyukura

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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:22 pm