MODULE 2

RECOGNIZING PIN YIN AND ZHU YIN

LESSON 4: TONE MARKS

Learning Objectives:

After studying the lesson, you should be able to:

a. Pronouns properly Chinese words following the different tone marks.

ENGAGE

DIRECTION: Self-Reflection. Based on your opinion, what is the significance of tone marks when
pronouncing a word and how will you relate it to Hospitality Industry.

EXPLORE: READ AND UNDERSTAND

Chinese is a Tonal Language

Every Chinese character is given a set of unique pinyin which is a combination of consonants and
vowels. A set of pinyin is given a specific tone, which is called the tone marks. Mandarin has four tones, five if
you count the neutral tone. The first tone is called flat tone, second is rising tone, third is falling-rising tone
while the forth is falling tone.

1. First Tone
The first tone is high and level. It is important to keep one's voice even (almost monotone) across the whole
syllable when pronouncing the first tone. It is represented by a straight horizontal line above a letter in pinyin
(or sometimes by a number "1" written after the syllable).

2. Second Tone
The second rises moderately. In English we sometimes associate this rise in pitch with a question. The
second tone is represented by a rising diagonal line above a letter in pinyin (or sometimes by a number "2"
written after the syllable

3. Third Tone
The third tone falls and then rises again. When pronounced clearly, its tonal "dipping" is very
distinctive. It is represented by a curved "dipping" line above a letter in pinyin (or sometimes by a number "3"
written after the syllable).

4. Fourth Tone
The fourth tone starts out high but drops sharply to the bottom of the tonal range. English-speakers often
associate this tone with an angry command. It is represented by a dropping diagonal line above a letter in pinyin
(or sometimes by a number "4" written after the syllable).

5. Neutral Tone
The neutral tone is not mapped on the tone chart because it differs from the other four tones in that it does
not have a defined pitch contour. The neutral tone is pronounced quickly and lightly without regard to pitch.
Syllables with a neutral tone have no tone mark (but are sometimes marked with a "5" or a "0" after the
syllable).

This tone is usually very easy to pick up. Note that aside from grammatical particles, single syllable words
cannot have a neutral tone.
 The main purpose of the tone marks is to distinguish every Chinese character. With many Chinese
characters along with exact pronunciation of pinyin but with different tone marks makes completely different in
meaning.