Practice the front nasals: an vs en vs in
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| This is the an sound, this is the en sound, and this is the in 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 an. This is the sound in bān 班 "class," màn 慢 "slow," fàn 饭 "meal." |
| En is the sound in mén 门 "door," fēn 分 "minute," zhēn 真 "true." |
| In is the sound in lín 林 "forest," xīn 新 "new," jīn 金 "gold." |
| An, in, en are called front nasals. |
| When pronouncing the sound an in Chinese, start with the vowel a. Then lift the tip of your tongue to touch your upper gum and let the air flow through your nose. It's different from the an sound in "fan" because your jaw should be more relaxed for the Chinese an. |
| Lift the tip of the tongue to touch the upper gum and let the air flow through the nose. |
| an |
| [3 sec pause] |
| an (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| an |
| an |
| [3 sec pause] |
| an (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| an |
| The Chinese en sound is different from the en sound in the word "men." It's more similar to the urn in "burning," but without the r sound. Start with the schwa [ə], like in "about," then lift the tip of your tongue to touch your upper gum and let the air go through your nose. |
| Lift the tip of the tongue to touch the upper gum and let the air flow through the nose. |
| en |
| [3 sec pause] |
| en (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| en |
| en |
| [3 sec pause] |
| en (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| en |
| To pronounce in, start with the vowel [i], as in "beat." Lift the tip of your tongue to touch your upper gum, and let the air go through your nose. It's similar to the in sound in the word "bin," but your lips should be more tense and stretched. |
| Lift the tip of the tongue to touch the upper gum and let the air flow through the nose. |
| in |
| [3 sec pause] |
| in (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| in |
| in |
| [3 sec pause] |
| in (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| in |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| bàn/bèn |
| (space for repetition) |
| bàn/bèn |
| lán/lín |
| (space for repetition) |
| lán/lín |
| mén/mín |
| (space for repetition) |
| mén/mín |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound similar to an in "fan," but with a more relaxed jaw? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| an |
| (1) |
| an |
| And the sound that sounds like urn in "burning" but without the r? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| en |
| (1) |
| en |
| Do you remember the sound similar to the in sound in "bin," but with more tense and stretched lips? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| in |
| (1) |
| in |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the an sound, and which has the en sound? |
| 半/笨 |
| ("half"/"stupid") |
| (1) |
| 半/笨 |
| ("half"/"stupid") |
| (1) |
| 半 bàn has the an sound, and 笨 bèn has the en sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the an sound, and which has the in sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 蓝/林 |
| ("blue"/"forest") |
| (1) |
| 蓝/林 |
| ("blue"/"forest") |
| (1) |
| 蓝 lán has the an sound, and 林 lín has the in sound. |
| Let's try one more. Which word has the en sound, and which has the in sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 门/民 |
| ("door"/"people") |
| (1) |
| 门/民 |
| ("door"/"people") |
| (1) |
| 门 mén has the en sound, and 民 mín has the in sound. |
| Now, listen to the following sentences. |
| Choose the words that fit in the blanks. |
| (1 sec pause) |
| 他有点_。 Tā yǒu diǎn _ . |
| A 笨 bèn |
| B 半 bàn |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 笨 bèn |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 他有点笨。 Tā yǒu diǎn bèn. |
| "He's a bit dumb." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我穿_衣服。Wǒ chuān _ yī fú. |
| A 林 lín |
| B 蓝 lán |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 蓝 lán |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我穿蓝衣服。Wǒ chuān lán yī fú. |
| "I wear blue clothes." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 劳动人_。 Láo dòng rén _. |
| A 门 mén |
| B 民 mín |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 民 mín |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 劳动人民。 Láo dòng rén mín. |
| "Working people." |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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