Practice the dental affricates and fricative: z, c, and s
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| This is the z sound, this is the c sound, and this is the s 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 z. This is the sound in zài 在, zāng 脏, and zǒu 走. |
| zài 在 "at," zāng 脏 "dirty," and zǒu 走 "to walk." |
| C is the sound in cài 菜, cāng 苍, cí 词. |
| cài 菜 "vegetable," cāng 苍 "pale blue," cí 词 "word." |
| S is the sound in sài 赛, sān 三, sì 四. |
| sài 赛 "match," sān 三 "three," sì 四 "four." |
| Z and c may seem unfamiliar to native English speakers, but they actually exist in English. We can practice them using words we already know. |
| Z [ts] is an unaspirated dental affricate. It is similar to the ds sound in "seeds," but make sure not to pronounce it as a voiced sound. Your vocal folds shouldn't be vibrating when pronouncing this sound. |
| Place the tip of your tongue behind your upper front teeth to make this sound, then release it quickly. |
| z |
| [3 sec pause] |
| z (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| z |
| z |
| [3 sec pause] |
| z (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| z |
| C [tsʰ] is an aspirated dental affricate. |
| It is similar to ts in "cats." |
| Start with ts in "cats," move the tongue tip close to the lower front teeth, and pronounce it with a puff of air. |
| c |
| [3 sec pause] |
| c (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| c |
| c |
| [3 sec pause] |
| c (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| c |
| The difference between z and c is in the aspiration: the z sound has little to no burst of air, while the c sound has a strong puff of air when pronounced. |
| S is a dental fricative. It is similar to the s in "see." |
| To make the s sound, the lips part slightly, |
| and the upper front teeth rest on top of the lower front teeth |
| Lightly rest the tip of your tongue against the ridge behind your upper teeth, ensuring that it does not touch the teeth. |
| Blow air through the teeth. |
| s |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s |
| s |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| s |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| zì/cì |
| (space for repetition) |
| zì/cì |
| zài/sài |
| (space for repetition) |
| zài/sài |
| càn/sàn |
| (space for repetition) |
| càn/sàn |
| 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) |
| z |
| (1) |
| z |
| Do you remember the sound with a strong air puff when pronounced? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| c |
| (1) |
| c |
| Do you remember the dental fricative? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| s |
| (1) |
| s |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the z sound, and which has the c sound? |
| 在/菜 |
| ("at"/"vegetable") |
| (1) |
| 在/菜 |
| ("at"/"vegetable") |
| (1) |
| 在 zài has the z sound, and 菜 cài has the c sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the z sound, and which has the s sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 字/四 |
| ("character"/"four") |
| (1) |
| 字/四 |
| ("character"/"four") |
| (1) |
| 字 zì has the z sound, and 四 sì has the s sound. |
| Which word has the c sound, and which has the s sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 餐/三 |
| ("meal"/"three") |
| (1) |
| 餐/三 |
| ("meal"/"three") |
| (1) |
| 餐 cān has the c sound, and 三 sān has the s sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| 衣服_了。( Yī fu _ le.) |
| A 脏 zāng |
| B 苍 cāng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 脏 zāng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 衣服脏了。Yī fu zāng le. |
| "The clothes are dirty." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 比_开始了。 Bǐ _ kāi shǐ le. |
| A 菜 cài |
| B 赛 sài |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 赛 sài |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 比赛开始了。Bǐ sài kāi shǐ le. |
| "The match has began." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 这块饼干非常_。Zhè kuài bǐng gān fēi cháng _. |
| A 碎 suì |
| B 脆 cuì |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 脆 cuì |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 这块饼干非常脆。Zhè kuài bǐng gān fēi cháng cuì. |
| "This cookie is very crispy." |
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