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Lesson Transcript

This is the i sound, this is the u sound, and this is the ü sound.
i, u, ü
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 i. This is the sound in bǐ 笔 "pen," dì 弟 "brother," tī 踢 "kick," and other words.
U is the sound in bù 不 "not," lù 路 "road," dú 读 "read," and other words.
Ü is the sound in nǚ 女 "female," lǜ 绿 "green," qù 去 "go," and other words.
The Chinese i sound is identical to the double ee sound in the word "see."
i
[3 sec pause]
i (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
i
i
[3 sec pause]
i (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
i
The Chinese u sound is similar to the double oo sound in the word "too." However, you want to pout your lips more and exaggerate the rounding slightly.
u
[3 sec pause]
u (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
u
u
[3 sec pause]
u (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
u
The Chinese ü sound is a little bit tricky to pronounce. An excellent way to make this sound is to first make the English /i/ sound, like in the word "beat," and round your lips without moving your tongue. This is like producing [i] and simultaneously trying to say [u] by maintaining the tongue in the front position.
ü
[3 sec pause]
ü (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
ü
ü
[3 sec pause]
ü (enunciated)
[3 sec pause]
ü
Listen and repeat or speak along with me.
Ready?
mì/mù
(space for repetition)
mì/mù
lì/lǜ
(space for repetition)
lì/lǜ
lù/lǜ
(space for repetition)
lù/lǜ
Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation.
Do you remember the sound that is identical to the double ee sound in the word "see?"
(3)
(2)
(1)
i
(1)
i
And the sound similar to the double oo sound in the word "too?"
(3)
(2)
(1)
u
(1)
u
Do you remember the sound that has the same tongue position as i but with rounded lips?
(3)
(2)
(1)
ü
(1)
ü
Let's practice.
Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the i sound, and which has the u sound?
弟/肚
("brother"/"belly")
(1)
弟/肚
("brother"/"belly")
(1)
弟 dì has the i sound, and 肚 dù has the u sound.
Let's try another.
(3 sec pause)
你/女
("you"/"female")
(1)
你/女
("you"/"female")
(1)
你 nǐ has the i sound, and 女 nǚ has the ü sound.
Let's try one more. Which word has the u sound, and which has the ü sound?
(3 sec pause)
路/绿
("road"/"green")
(1)
路/绿
("road"/"green")
(1)
路 lù has the u sound, and 绿 lǜ has the ü sound.
Now, listen to the following sentences.
Choose the words that fit in the blanks.
(1 sec pause)
这条_很长。 Zhè tiáo _ hěn cháng.
A 绿 lǜ
B 路 lù
(3 sec pause)
The answer is: B 路 lù
(3 sec pause)
这条路很长。 Zhè tiáo lù hěn cháng.
"This road is very long."
(3 sec pause)
她是一个聪明的_孩。
Tā shì yī gè cōng míng de _ hái.
A 女 nǚ
B 你 nǐ
(3 sec pause)
The answer is: A 女 nǚ
(3 sec pause)
她是一个聪明的女孩。Tā shì yī gè cōng míng de nǚ hái.
"She is a smart girl."
(3 sec pause)
我__很高。 Wǒ __ hěn gāo.
A 肚肚 dùdu
B 弟弟 dìdi
(3 sec pause)
The answer is: B 弟弟 dìdi
(3 sec pause)
我弟弟很高。Wǒ dìdi hěn gāo.
"My younger brother is very tall."
By the way, if you watched til the end
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