Tag: Aspiration
These conversation post have all been tagged with " Aspiration"
The Chinese “H” Sound
The first sound we are going to focus on in this series about aspiration is a sound, not marked with an Apostrophe in Wade-Giles, but is probably the most obvious of all the aspirated sounds to western ears, the one marked in Pinyin and all other romanization systems as,
- "H"
In the case of the "H" sound, those that do hear that is sounds different from the English "H" often get caught into the trap of pronouncing it like the Hebrew "Ch" (as in Chanukah), this is wrong. There is no such sound in Chinese.
A good place to start practicing this sound is to start with the Chinese "He" as in "Hē Shuǐ" 喝水.
Once you listen to the pronunciation a few times in the Chinesepod Pinyin introduction, (make sure to listen to all four tones), you will soon see that the sound is dependent on two factors:
- Aspiration
- Constricting the back of the throat
Keep in mind, that without partially closing the back of the throat, the sound will have no friction, and therefore not sound correct.
Now, once you've practiced 喝 Hē, a few times, let's move on to "Hěn Hǎo" 很好.
With regards to the "H" sound, remember to always constrict the back of the throat and really give the sound a good, guttural puff of air coming directly from the back of the throat. You should feel the back of the throat slightly rattle.
Put your hand in front of your mouth when you make this sound...did you feel the air on your hand as you made the sound?
Now, contrast it with the American English "H" sound. Say the English words "Hen" and "How" (the common words that English speakers use in place of the Chinese "Hěn Hǎo").
Did you feel the difference? As you say the English "Hen How" You should not feel any air on your hand, as you do with the correct Chinese pronunciation of, Hěn Hǎo.
Remember, there needs to be vibration in the back of the throat for the sound to be correct.
Now, apply this to all the other "H" sounds in Chinese:
- Ha
- Hai
- Hao
- Han
- Hang
- Hong
- Hou
- He
- Hei
- Hen
- Heng
- Hu
- Hua
- Huo
- Hui
- Huai
- Huan
- Hun
- Huang
Once you have mastered the Chinese "H" sound, you are ready to move on.
The Chinese "Q" Sound
The second in our series about aspiration is one of the most difficult for foreigners to make sound authentic:
- Q
This is because it combines three sounds together that are not native to English.
Later we'll get into greater detail about the "Flat Tongue Sound" in Chinese called the 舍面音, but this article will give a short description of how to pronounce this sound.
The 舍面音, Flat Tongue Sound
This sound will require discipline from native English speakers, as English has nothing like it in the phonetic system.
Mastering this sound, (as with many sounds in Mandarin Chinese) is entirely dependent on tongue positioning.
I affectionately refer to this sound as a "reverse Chi"
Take the tip of your tongue and press it against the back of your bottom teeth. Notice the middle of your tongue (the tongue blade) curving upwards.
Rest the center of your tongue (the tongue blade) against the bony ridge behind your front teeth (the alveolar ridge). Be careful not to let the tip of your tongue move while you produce this sound.
Aspiration
As is often described online as a "thin sound" comes, in part from the aspirated quality of this sound. Remember, aspiration is, simply put just giving the sound an extra puff of air. Let the air come from your diaphragm, much like in singing, and if you do it right, the sound should sound especially hissy as the air slides down the top of your tongue.
Unvoiced Sound
The other contributing factor to the "thin sound" of the Mandarin Chinese Q comes from the sound being unvoiced. An unvoiced sound is one that you can't sing. Voiceless sounds are those that are not produced by the vocal chords.
Execution
While you produce this sound, put your hand over your Larynx. Did you notice that it doesn't vibrate?
Now, contrast that with the Americanized "Ch" sound.
Keep your hand over your Larynx while you say the word "Cheese". Now, just say the first part "Chee", did you notice the difference?
With the correct "Qi" sound you should feel very minimal vibration of your Larynx, while with the Americanized "Chee" sound you will clearly feel the vibration.
Practice your "Q" with all the following sounds
- Qi
- Qia
- Qie
- Qiao
- Qiu
- Qian
- Qin
- Qiang
- Qing
- Que
- Quan
- Qiong
Once you are comfortable with the Chinese Q, you are ready to move on.