Foreign Languages
Four tones.
Definition
Mandarin Chinese uses four distinct tones to distinguish word meanings. The first tone is high and flat, the second rises, the third dips then rises, and the fourth falls sharply. Using the wrong tone can completely change a word's meaning.
Examples
Real-world.
- 1 'mā' (first tone) means 'mother,' 'má' (second tone) means 'hemp,' 'mǎ' (third tone) means 'horse,' and 'mà' (fourth tone) means 'to scold'
- 2 'tāng' (first tone) means 'soup' while 'táng' (second tone) means 'sugar'
- 3 There is also a neutral (light) tone used for unstressed syllables like 'ma' in question particles
Key Fact
Tone 1: flat (ˉ), Tone 2: rising (ˊ), Tone 3: dip-rise (ˇ), Tone 4: falling (ˋ)