Learn to pronounce the back nasals: ang vs eng vs ing vs ong
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| This is the ang sound, and this is the eng sound, this is the ing sound, and this is the ong 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 ang. This is the sound in bāng 帮 "help," pàng 胖 "fat," máng 忙 "busy." |
| Eng is the sound in péng 朋 "friend," mèng 梦 "dream," fēng 风 "wind." |
| Ong is the sound in dōng 东 "east," tòng 痛 "pain," zhōng 中 "middle." |
| Ing is the sound in bīng 冰 "ice," tīng 听 "listen," jīng 京 "capital." |
| Ang, eng, ing, and ong are called back nasals. |
| The ang sound is like the aun in British English, "aunt." Begin with the [ɑ] sound, like in "father," then prolong it and move your tongue backward while letting air flow through your nose. Keep your mouth wide open. |
| ang |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ang (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ang |
| ang |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ang (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ang |
| To pronounce the Chinese eng sound, start with the schwa [ə], as in "about," then prolong it and move your tongue backward, allowing air to come through your nose. Keep your mouth slightly open. |
| eng |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eng (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eng |
| eng |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eng (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| eng |
| The ing sound is easy now that you know how to pronounce eng. You just need to add a [j] sound to eng, like the y sound in "yes." |
| ing |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ing (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ing |
| ing |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ing (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ing |
| To pronounce the Chinese ong sound, start with the vowel [u], like in "boot," then prolong it and move your tongue backward while letting air come through your nose. Keep your mouth almost closed and your lips tightly rounded. Make sure your tongue is positioned back in your mouth. |
| ong |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ong (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ong |
| ong |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ong (enunciated) |
| [3 sec pause] |
| ong |
| Listen and repeat or speak along with me. |
| Ready? |
| náng/néng |
| (space for repetition) |
| náng/néng |
| bāng/bīng |
| (space for repetition) |
| bāng/bīng |
| mèng/mìng |
| (space for repetition) |
| mèng/mìng |
| dīng/dōng |
| (space for repetition) |
| dīng/dōng |
| dāng/dōng |
| (space for repetition) |
| dāng/dōng |
| Let's review. Respond to the prompts by speaking aloud. Then, repeat after me, focusing on pronunciation. |
| Do you remember the sound that sounds like the aun in British English, "aunt?" |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ang |
| (1) |
| ang |
| Do you remember the back nasal sound that starts with a schwa [ə]? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| eng |
| (1) |
| eng |
| And if you add a [j] to eng, what does it turn into? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ing |
| (1) |
| ing |
| Do you remember the back nasal sound that starts with a [u]? |
| (3) |
| (2) |
| (1) |
| ong |
| (1) |
| ong |
| Let's practice. |
| Compare the sounds in these two words. Which word has the ang sound, and which has the eng sound? |
| 胖/碰 |
| ("fat"/"bump") |
| (1) |
| 胖/碰 |
| ("fat"/"bump") |
| (1) |
| "胖 pàng" has the ang sound, and "碰 pèng" has the eng sound. |
| Let's try another. Which word has the eng sound, and which has the ing sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 能/宁 |
| ("can"/"peaceful") |
| (1) |
| 能/宁 |
| ("can"/"peaceful") |
| (1) |
| 能 néng has the eng sound, and 宁 níng has the ing sound. |
| Let's try one more. Which word has the ing sound, and which has the ong sound? |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 铃/龙 |
| ("bell"/"dragon") |
| (1) |
| 铃/龙 |
| ("bell"/"dragon") |
| (1) |
| 铃 líng has the ing sound, and 龙 lóng has the ong 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 碰 pèng |
| B 胖 pàng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: B 胖 pàng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 他有点胖。Tā yǒu diǎn pàng. |
| "He's a bit fat." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我_穿衣服。Wǒ _ chuān yī fú. |
| A 能 néng |
| B 农 nóng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 能 néng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 我能穿衣服。Wǒ néng chuān yī fú. |
| "I can dress myself." |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 这是什么_西？ Zhè shì shénme __xi? |
| A 东 dōng |
| B 当 dāng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| The answer is: A 东 dōng |
| (3 sec pause) |
| 这是什么东西？ Zhè shì shénme dōngxi? |
| "What is this?" |
| By the way, if you watched til the end |
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