Learn to pronounce the alveolar consonants: zh vs ch vs sh vs r
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| This is the zh sound, this is the ch sound, this is the sh sound, and this is the r 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 zh. This is the sound in zhù 住 "to live," zhǐ 纸 "paper," zhōng 中 "middle." |
| Ch is the sound in chī 吃 "to eat," chū 出 "to go out," chuáng 床 "bed." |
| Sh is the sound in shī 师 "teacher," shù 树 "tree," shuǐ 水 "water." |
| R is the sound in rén 人 "people," rì 日 "sun," rǎn 染 "to dye." |
| These four sounds are unfamiliar to native English speakers, but we can use similar sounds in English to practice them. |
| Zh [ʈʂ] is a unaspirated post-alveolar affricate. It is similar to the j in "judge," but it is pronounced with the tongue positioned further back in the mouth. |
| Start by saying "judge" slowly. |
| Notice how your tongue touches the roof of your mouth just behind the upper front teeth. |
| Move your tongue slightly further back, and then release the sound. |
| zh |
| [3 sec pause] |
| zh (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| zh |
| zh |
| [3 sec pause] |
| zh (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| zh |
| Ch [ʈʂʰ] is an aspirated alveolo-palatal affricate. |
| It is similar to the ch in "church," but pronounced with the tongue positioned further back in the mouth. |
| Start by saying "church" slowly. |
| Notice the position of your tongue when producing the ch sound. |
| Move your tongue slightly further back and release the sound with a strong burst of air. |
| ch |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ch (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ch |
| ch |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ch (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ch |
| The difference between z and c is in the aspiration: the zh sound has little to no burst of air, while the ch sound has a strong puff of air when pronounced. |
| Sh is a post-alveolar fricative. |
| This sound is similar to the sh in "ship," but it is pronounced with the tongue positioned further back in the mouth. |
| Start by saying "ship" slowly. |
| Notice how your tongue is positioned close to the roof of your mouth. |
| Move your tongue slightly further back and blow air out to produce a hissing sound. |
| sh |
| [3 sec pause] |
| sh (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| sh |
| sh |
| [3 sec pause] |
| sh (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| sh |
| R is a post-alveolar approximant. It's similar to English r as in "ride," except Chinese r [ɹ] does not have lip rounding. Also, make sure it is voiced with vibrating vocal folds. |
| Start with the tongue in the same position as when pronouncing the English r, but move it closer to the hard palate without touching it. |
| Keep the tongue position while making the English ʒ sound as in "measure." |
| r |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r |
| r |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| r |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| zhì/chì |
| (space for repetition) |
| zhì/chì |
| zhài/shài |
| (space for repetition) |
| zhài/shài |
| shén/rén |
| (space for repetition) |
| shén/rén |
| chén/rén |
| (space for repetition) |
| chén/rén |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the affricate that has little or no burst of air? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| zh |
| (1) |
| zh |
| Do you remember the affricate with a strong puff of air when pronounced? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ch |
| (1) |
| ch |
| Do you remember the fricative similar to [ʃ ] in "ship?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| sh |
| (1) |
| sh |
| Do you remember the sound similar to [r ] in "ride" but without lip rounding? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| r |
| (1) |
| r |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the zh sound, and which has the ch sound? |
| 摘/拆 |
| ("to pick"/"to remove") |
| (1) |
| 摘/拆 |
| ("to pick"/"to remove") |
| (1) |
| 摘 zhāi has the zh sound, and 拆 chāi has the ch sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the zh sound, and which has the sh sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 住/树 |
| ("to live"/"tree") |
| (1) |
| 住/树 |
| ("to live"/"tree") |
| (1) |
| 住 zhù has the zh sound, and 树 shù has the sh sound. |
| Which word has the ch sound, and which has the sh sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 池/十 |
| ("pond"/"ten") |
| (1) |
| 池/十 |
| ("pond"/"ten") |
| (1) |
| 池 chí has the ch sound, and 十 shí has the sh sound. |
| Which word has the zh sound, and which has the r sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 智/日 |
| ("wisdom"/"sun") |
| (1) |
| 智/日 |
| ("wisdom"/"sun") |
| (1) |
| 智 zhì has the zh sound, and 日 rì has the r sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| 他在_苹果。( Tā zài _ píng guǒ.) |
| A 摘 zhāi |
| B 拆 chāi |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 摘 zhāi |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 他在摘苹果。 Tā zài zhāi píng guǒ. |
| "He is picking apples." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 妈妈在_鞋。 Mā ma zài _ xié. |
| A 抓 zhuā |
| B 刷 shuā |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 刷 shuā |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 妈妈在刷鞋。Mā ma zài shuā xié. |
| "Mom is brushing the shoes." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我不相信_。Wǒ bù xiāng xìn _. |
| A 人 rén |
| B 神 shén |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 神 shén |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我不相信神。Wǒ bù xiāng xìn shén. |
| "I don't believe in God." |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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