Consider the following sounds, all pronounced as “ma”. When listened carefully these words are pronounced in four rather distinct intonations, each with a totally different meaning.
First intonation:
Second Intonation:
Third Intonation:
Fourth Intonation:
The symbols
Listen carefully, distinguish the intonations and nuances, be willing to produce sounds that might sound strange and you are on your way to success.
Intonations are important in spoken Mandarin. You could give different meanings or impressions depending on intonations. However when spoken in sentences listeners are better able to “guess” the meanings even though intonations may not be accurate. Intonations are unimportant in word processing.
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