How to Improve Mandarin Chinese Pronunciation

Unlike English, which is a phonetic language, Mandarin Chinese is a tonal language. It has more vowel sounds than consonant sounds making the language very musical. To improve Mandarin Chinese pronunciation, you need to know a few of the language's rules. Combine this knowledge with lots of practice, and you'll be able to at least speak a passable version of the language if English is your native tongue.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with the easy sounds of the language in order to improve Mandarin Chinese pronunciation. Many of them are similar to sounds in English so they're easier to say correctly.

2. Practice the difficult sounds of the language as often as you can. For English speakers, these sounds are hard to grasp since there is no equivalent sound in the English language.

3. Use a special tool called a Pinyin. The Pinyin transcribes Chinese characters to make it possible for non-Mandarin Chinese speakers to pronounce them. The Pinyin helps people improve their Mandarin Chinese pronunciation.

4. Be aware that there are four tones in the Chinese language: the macron, the acute accent, the caron or breve accent, and the grave accent. The macron has a high even pitch. It's referred to as the long mark. The acute accent has a rising pitch while the caron accent has a pitch that falls and then rises. The grave accent, as the name implies, has a dropping pitch.

5. Get tutoring from someone who speaks the language well or even someone directly from China. He can help you perfect the tones that are crucial to communicating in Mandarin Chinese.

Resources

• Chinese Pronunciation