Master the pronunciation for the dental consonants: d vs t vs n vs l
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| This is the d sound, and this is the t sound, this is the n sound, and this is the l sound. |
| By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to tell them apart, PLUS you'll be practicing them, and on your way to perfect pronunciation! |
| I'm YangYun, and this is Chinese Pronunciation Through Minimal Pairs. |
| The first is d. This is the sound in dà 大, dì 弟, duō 多 |
| dà 大 "big," dì 弟 "younger brother," duō 多 "many." |
| T is the sound in tā 他, táng 糖, tuǐ 腿 |
| tā 他 "he/him," táng 糖 "sugar," tuǐ 腿 "leg." |
| N is the sound in nǎi 奶, néng 能, nù 怒 |
| nǎi 奶 "milk," néng 能 "can," nù 怒 "angry." |
| L is the sound in là 辣, lù 路, lěng 冷 |
| là 辣 "spicy," lù 路 "road," lěng 冷 "cold." |
| These four sounds are generally not difficult for native English speakers because they all exist in English. |
| The d sound is similar to t in the English "stand." Notice that this sound is NOT voiced, and your vocal folds shouldn't vibrate when pronouncing this sound. |
| d |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d |
| d |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| d |
| The Chinese t sound is similar to t in the English "tie," " but with a stronger puff of air. |
| Put the tip of your tongue against the back of your upper teeth. As you breathe out, hold the air behind your tongue for a moment before letting it go. |
| Release the position as you release a burst of air. |
| t |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t |
| t |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| t |
| The difference between d and t is mainly in the aspiration: the d sound has little to no burst of air, while the t sound has a strong puff of air when pronounced. |
| N is a nasal sound. It is the same sound as the English n in "name." |
| To make the n sound, the lips and teeth move slightly apart. |
| Position the front of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, just behind your teeth. |
| The tip of the tongue touches the top of the mouth near the upper teeth. |
| Push air through the nose. |
| n |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n |
| n |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| n |
| The l sound is the same as the English l in "like." |
| To make the l sound, open the mouth slightly |
| Gently press the tip of your tongue against the hard palate, just behind your upper front teeth. |
| Push the air through the sides of the tongue as the vocal cords vibrate. |
| l |
| [3 sec pause] |
| l (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| l |
| l |
| [3 sec pause] |
| l (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| l |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| dā/tā |
| (space for repetition) |
| dā/tā |
| dāo/tāo |
| (space for repetition) |
| dāo/tāo |
| nā/lā |
| (space for repetition) |
| nā/lā |
| nèi/lèi |
| (space for repetition) |
| nèi/lèi |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that has little or no burst of air? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| d |
| (1) |
| d |
| Do you remember the sound with a strong air puff when pronounced? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| t |
| (1) |
| t |
| Do you remember the nasal sound? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| n |
| (1) |
| n |
| And do you remember the same sound as in "like?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| l |
| (1) |
| l |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the d sound, and which has the t sound? |
| 弟/替 |
| ("younger brother"/"to replace") |
| (1) |
| 弟/替 |
| ("younger brother"/"to replace") |
| (1) |
| 弟 dì has the d sound, and 替 tì has the t sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the d sound, and which has the t sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 袋/太 |
| ("bag"/"too") |
| (1) |
| 袋/太 |
| ("bag"/"too") |
| (1) |
| 袋 dài has the d sound, and 太 tài has the t sound. |
| Which word has the n sound, and which has the l sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 那/辣 |
| ("there"/"spicy") |
| (1) |
| 那/辣 |
| ("there"/"spicy") |
| (1) |
| 那 nà has the n sound, and 辣 là has the l sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| _子饱了。(_ zi bǎo le.) |
| A 肚 dù |
| B 兔 tù |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 肚 dù |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 肚子饱了。Dùzi bǎo le. |
| "The stomach is full." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 2. _子跑了。 _ zi pǎo le. |
| A 兔 tù |
| B 肚 dù |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 兔 tù |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 兔子跑了。Tùzi pǎo le. |
| "The rabbit ran away." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 这个菜太_了。 Zhè ge cài tài _ le. |
| A 那 nà |
| B 辣 là |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 辣 là |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 这个菜太辣了。 Zhè ge cài tài là le. |
| "This dish is too spicy." |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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