How to distinguish between flat and warped tongue
Flat and raised tongue is a common pronunciation difficulty in Chinese Pinyin. Especially for learners from southern dialect areas, it is often a big challenge to distinguish flat and raised tongue sounds (z, c, s) and raised tongue sounds (zh, ch, sh, r). This article will combine the hot topics and hot content on the Internet in the past 10 days to provide you with a detailed guide to distinguish between flat and curled tongues.
1. Basic concepts of flat tongue
The flat tongue sound and the raised tongue sound are two sets of initial consonants in Chinese Pinyin. Their places of articulation and pronunciation methods are different:
| Type | initial consonant | place of articulation | Pronunciation method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat tongue sound | z, c, s | The tip of the tongue touches the back of the upper teeth | Air is squeezed out between the tip of the tongue and the back of the teeth |
| tongue-waving sound | zh, ch, sh, r | The tip of the tongue is raised against the front of the hard palate | Air is forced out between the tip of the tongue and the hard palate |
2. Pronunciation skills of flat and tilted tongue
To accurately distinguish flat and warped tongues, you can start from the following aspects:
1. Exercises on articulatory parts
The flat tongue sounds (z, c, s) are pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the back of the upper teeth, while the raised tongue sounds (zh, ch, sh, r) are pronounced with the tip of the tongue raised against the front of the hard palate. You can feel the difference between the two through the following exercises:
| Flat tongue practice | Tongue sound practice |
|---|---|
| "oneself" (zì jǐ) | "know" (zhī dào) |
| "from now on" (cóng cǐ) | "eat" (chī fàn) |
| "think" (sī kǎo) | "time" (shí jiān) |
2. Comparison exercise
By comparing words with flat tongue and raised tongue, you can feel the difference between the two more intuitively:
| flat tongue words | Words with raised tongue sounds |
|---|---|
| "resource" (zī yuán) | "support" (zhī yuán) |
| "Careless" (cū xīn) | "original intention" (chū xīn) |
| "private" (sī rén) | "Poet" (shī rén) |
3. Common errors and correction methods
Many learners tend to make the following mistakes when distinguishing between flat and curled tongues:
1. Confusing initial consonants with flat and upturned tongues
For example, pronounce "know" (zhī dào) as "zī dào", or pronounce "from now on" (cóng cǐ) as "chóng chǐ". The correction method is to practice the pronunciation part repeatedly to ensure that the tip of the tongue is in the correct position.
2. Ignore the influence of dialect
Learners in southern dialect areas (such as Cantonese and Hokkien) often do not have a raised tongue sound, so it is easy to pronounce the raised tongue sound as a flat tongue sound. It is recommended to listen to the pronunciation of standard Mandarin and imitate the pronunciation of the announcer or teacher.
4. The flat tongue phenomenon among popular topics on the Internet
In the past 10 days, the hot topics on the Internet about flat tongue mainly focus on the following aspects:
| hot topics | Related content |
|---|---|
| Putonghua test | The flat and raised tongue is the focus of the Mandarin proficiency test, and many candidates have points deducted due to inaccurate pronunciation. |
| dialect protection | Some netizens discussed the lack of flat and warped tongues in dialects and called for the protection of dialect characteristics. |
| children education | Parents share how to help their children differentiate between flat and twisted tongues, and recommend children's songs and tongue twister exercises. |
5. Recommended practical exercises
In order to help everyone better master the flat and tilted tongue, the following practice methods are recommended:
1. Tongue twister practice
Tongue twisters are an effective tool for practicing flat and twisted tongues, such as:
"Four is four, ten is ten, fourteen is fourteen, forty is forty." (Practice the distinction between s and sh)
2. Listening training
Listen to standard Mandarin radio, news or audio books, and pay attention to the announcer's flat-toned pronunciation.
3. Recording comparison
Record your own pronunciation and compare it with standard pronunciation to find differences and correct them.
Conclusion
Distinguishing flat and twisted tongues requires long-term practice and accumulation, especially for learners in dialect areas. By mastering the correct pronunciation position, comparative exercises and tongue twister training, I believe everyone will be able to overcome this difficulty in pronunciation. I hope the content of this article can provide you with practical help!
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