Learn Mandarin Chinese Tones and Pronunciation 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following pinyin initials represents a sound NOT found in English?
- b
- m
- x (Correct answer)
- n
Correct answer: x
The Mandarin 'x' is a palatal fricative, a sound that does not exist in English and requires special practice.
Question 2: In pinyin, the letter combination 'zh' is pronounced similarly to which English sound?
- z in 'zoo'
- j in 'judge' (Correct answer)
- sh in 'shoe'
- g in 'go'
Correct answer: j in 'judge'
'zh' in pinyin is a retroflex consonant similar to the 'j' sound in English, but with the tongue curled back.
Question 3: What is the neutral (fifth) tone in Mandarin also called?
- Light tone (Correct answer)
- Silent tone
- Sharp tone
- Flat tone
Correct answer: Light tone
The neutral tone is commonly called the 'light tone' because it is spoken quickly and lightly without a distinct pitch contour.
Question 4: Which Mandarin final (rhyme) is represented by 'ü' in pinyin?
- A rounded front vowel like French 'u' (Correct answer)
- The same as English 'oo'
- A back vowel like English 'u' in 'cup'
- A diphthong like English 'ow'
Correct answer: A rounded front vowel like French 'u'
'ü' represents a rounded front vowel, pronounced by rounding your lips as if saying 'oo' while saying 'ee'.
Question 5: In Mandarin, tone sandhi refers to which phenomenon?
- Writing characters with correct stroke order
- A tone changing when followed by another specific tone (Correct answer)
- The neutral tone replacing all other tones
- Dropping a tone at the end of a sentence
Correct answer: A tone changing when followed by another specific tone
Tone sandhi is the process by which a tone changes depending on the tone of the following syllable, most notably two third tones in a row become third + second.
Question 6: Which pinyin syllable contains the retroflex final '-r' that gives a 'rhotacized' quality to Beijing Mandarin?
- ān
- er (Correct answer)
- ōu
- iā
Correct answer: er
'er' (二 èr, 儿 ér) is the main retroflex vowel in Mandarin, and the '-r' suffix adds this rhotacized quality to words in Beijing dialect.
Learn Mandarin Chinese Tones and Pronunciation 2
Which of the following pinyin initials represents a sound NOT found in English?