Monday, July 14, 2008
Tones (in a continuing series - Sarah vs. Chinese)
All right I have been practicing my extremely limited Chinese and I have come to the conclusion that the tones will be the death of me. Let me give you a bit of background..... there are four tones in Chinese and these are extremely important because if you have the tone wrong, then you are actually saying a different word. Well, my problem becomes that when I am saying a word I think I know but am a little unsure I find myself going up at the end of the word (like I am questioning if I have it right). But when you go up at the end of a word, then you are using the fourth tone. So, I am taking a lot of words and without realizing it changing them to 4th tone! Alas, the tones are currently besting me. Maybe I will eventually figure them out....
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Wow, that does sound hard. I have a feeling we'll be hearing loads of funny "lost in translation" stories - at your expense! It's all a matter of perspective. Instead of thinking you're constantly messing up the other tones, pride yourself in mastering the 4th tone from the get-go. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I realize that I am currently saying things horribly wrong. I have already had people look at me strangely, pause, laugh and then tell me the correct way to say it. At least I can add humor to people's lives! ;-)
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