Oh man.
Vietnamese has five tones. I clearly didn't do any research before jumping into my first language.
So after what seems like hours I have managed to essentially master the five Vietnamese tones, much to the chagrin of my family.
There doesn't seem like any possible way to describe them so it's best to listen to them on the Foreign Services Institute page - the tones are on tapes 2 and 3. They only total about 30 minutes in total - you listen to them in conjunction with the student text.
The only way I can sum them up is as follows:
Tone 1: the syllable is said in a pitch higher than that you would normally talk at (Imagine yelling 'Fore!' on a golf course)
Tone 2: you start at Tone 1 pitch and rise even higher - the text even says it rises to a 'squeak' (When someone tells you something shocking and you say 'What?!')
Tone 3: start at normal pitch, go down a bit then rise up (Like asking 'What?' as well but without as much intensity, more curiosity)
Tone 4: start at normal pitch and go down (just like you talk when you're really tired - low energy, dull)
Tone 5: start at lower pitch, go even lower and then rise up (like trying to show interest in something even though you're really tired)
That's all I can do to sum it up really. It's a hell of a topic.
Vietnamese. Nine vowels, five tones.
Next stop: consonants. What the hell have you got in store next Vietnamese.
(I'm through three tapes now and have just noticed there are eight tapes for pronunciation alone.)
Vietnamese has five tones. I clearly didn't do any research before jumping into my first language.
So after what seems like hours I have managed to essentially master the five Vietnamese tones, much to the chagrin of my family.
There doesn't seem like any possible way to describe them so it's best to listen to them on the Foreign Services Institute page - the tones are on tapes 2 and 3. They only total about 30 minutes in total - you listen to them in conjunction with the student text.
The only way I can sum them up is as follows:
Tone 1: the syllable is said in a pitch higher than that you would normally talk at (Imagine yelling 'Fore!' on a golf course)
Tone 2: you start at Tone 1 pitch and rise even higher - the text even says it rises to a 'squeak' (When someone tells you something shocking and you say 'What?!')
Tone 3: start at normal pitch, go down a bit then rise up (Like asking 'What?' as well but without as much intensity, more curiosity)
Tone 4: start at normal pitch and go down (just like you talk when you're really tired - low energy, dull)
Tone 5: start at lower pitch, go even lower and then rise up (like trying to show interest in something even though you're really tired)
That's all I can do to sum it up really. It's a hell of a topic.
Vietnamese. Nine vowels, five tones.
Next stop: consonants. What the hell have you got in store next Vietnamese.
(I'm through three tapes now and have just noticed there are eight tapes for pronunciation alone.)
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