Varieties of Chinese and Types of Regional Mandarin
Summary
TLDRThe speaker discusses various aspects of Chinese dialects, focusing on the differences in Mandarin spoken across regions like Taiwan, Beijing, and southern China. They highlight the tonal variations in languages like Cantonese and Taiwanese, as well as regional influences on Mandarin pronunciation. The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding local languages to connect with people while traveling and the cultural significance of preserving dialects like Shanghainese. They also touch on the diversity of Chinese accents and encourage learners to embrace these variations while mastering their tones.
Takeaways
- 🗣️ The speaker is discussing various Chinese dialects and languages, including Mandarin, Taiwanese (Min), and Cantonese.
- 🤔 There are similarities and differences between these languages, such as the word for 'thank you,' which is pronounced differently in Mandarin (xie xie), Taiwanese (do xie), and Cantonese.
- 🗣️ The speaker demonstrates tonal differences across dialects and regions, highlighting how even the same words can sound distinct in Mandarin and Taiwanese.
- 🌍 Mandarin is the dominant language in Taiwan, but many people still speak Taiwanese (Min) at home.
- 🎶 Tones play an essential role in Mandarin pronunciation, but tonal rules vary depending on the region, making it complex for learners.
- 🤓 The 'r' sound (erhua) is a notable feature of Mandarin spoken in Beijing and northern regions, whereas southern dialects soften or omit it.
- 📚 Regional languages and accents influence Mandarin pronunciation, so it’s common for local languages to affect how Mandarin is spoken in different areas.
- 🧳 Travelers in China may encounter different linguistic varieties depending on the region, making it beneficial to learn some local phrases.
- ⚡ Despite Mandarin’s dominance in China, regional languages like Shanghainese are at risk of declining, which could lead to a loss of local culture.
- 🎤 The speaker encourages listeners to embrace tonal challenges and regional differences in Chinese languages, as it makes learning more dynamic and interesting.
Q & A
What language was the speaker referencing in the beginning of the script?
-The speaker referenced Thai or Taiwanese (Min) and explained how they were speaking in a different language, not Mandarin.
What are some differences between Mandarin and Taiwanese as mentioned in the script?
-In Taiwanese, 'how' is pronounced as 'ho', and 'thank you' can be said as 'doors ya'. The script also points out some nasal sounds and tone differences.
How does the pronunciation of 'thank you' differ in Taiwanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese?
-In Taiwanese, 'thank you' is 'doors ya'; in Mandarin, it's 'xie xie'; and in Cantonese, it can be 'door je'. The pronunciation varies with tones and nasal sounds.
What example does the speaker give about learning Cantonese from a Mandarin textbook?
-The speaker mentions learning the phrase 'we are all going shopping to the new women's road' in Cantonese and Mandarin, highlighting differences in pronunciation and tones.
What are the tonal differences between northern and southern Mandarin accents?
-In northern regions like Beijing, tones are more pronounced with a higher pitch, while in southern regions, tones tend to be less pronounced, and consonants may differ.
What is the significance of the 'R' sound in northern Mandarin?
-The 'R' sound is common in northern Mandarin, particularly in Beijing, where words like 'wo shi' might sound like 'wo sher' due to this phonetic influence.
How does the pronunciation of 'eat' differ between northern and southern Mandarin?
-In northern Mandarin, 'eat' is pronounced as 'chi', while in southern Mandarin it may sound more like 'siu'.
What does the speaker say about the influence of regional languages on Mandarin pronunciation?
-The speaker mentions that speakers of Taiwanese, Shanghainese, or Cantonese may carry over phonetic traits from those languages into their Mandarin pronunciation.
What is the status of Mandarin in Taiwan, according to the script?
-Mandarin is the standard language used on TV, by politicians, and in education, but many families still speak Taiwanese (Min) at home.
Why does the speaker emphasize learning a few local phrases when traveling in China?
-The speaker suggests that learning local phrases can make locals feel respected, and it enhances cultural connections during travels.
Outlines
🗣️ Exploring Language Tones and Variations in Chinese Dialects
The speaker discusses the differences between Mandarin and various other Chinese dialects such as Taiwanese and Cantonese. They focus on how certain words sound different in these languages, like 'how' being pronounced 'ha' in Mandarin and 'who' in Taiwanese. The speaker also touches on the nasal tone used in Cantonese and provides a few example phrases in Mandarin and Cantonese to illustrate tonal variations.
🌍 Regional Variations in Mandarin Across China
This paragraph delves into how Mandarin is spoken differently in northern and southern China. In northern regions like Beijing, there is a distinctive 'R' sound, and tones are more extreme, while in southern China, tones are softer and consonants may change. The speaker contrasts regional differences in pronunciation and highlights the importance of understanding these variations when traveling or interacting with different regions in China.
🗺️ The Importance of Learning Local Languages and Dialects
The speaker emphasizes how learning even a few local phrases in languages like Taiwanese or Shanghainese can help travelers connect with locals and show respect. They discuss how Mandarin dominates in media, business, and education, but local dialects like Shanghainese are at risk of becoming niche or even dying out. The speaker encourages awareness of regional linguistic diversity and highlights the colorful, varied world of Chinese dialects.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mandarin
Highlights
Introduction to the difference between Mandarin and Taiwanese (Min) languages.
Explanation of tonal variations in Mandarin across northern and southern regions of China.
Illustration of how 'thank you' sounds different in Taiwanese (doorsia) and Mandarin (xiexie).
Comparison of nasal sounds in Cantonese and Mandarin, and how the nasalization affects pronunciation.
Random example in Cantonese, illustrating how tones and pronunciations differ in conversation.
Discussion on the influence of local dialects on Mandarin pronunciation in different regions.
Highlighting the unique R-sound (Hua-er) in northern Mandarin, especially in Beijing.
Explanation of tone variety between northern (more pronounced tones) and southern (softer tones) Mandarin.
Consonant variations between northern and southern Mandarin, such as 'gyeongwan' vs. 'sonwan'.
Importance of being aware of local dialects like Taiwanese or Shanghainese while traveling in China.
Mandarin’s dominance in business, education, and media, but risk of local languages like Shanghainese disappearing.
Encouragement to learn a few local phrases to show respect and engage with locals in different regions of China.
Reassurance that tonal differences across regions make Mandarin a rich and colorful language.
Note about personal experience with different tonal varieties during travels in China, e.g., Quailing.
Final reflection on the diversity of languages and dialects within China, making the cultural experience more vibrant.
Transcripts
that gear hood actually what I just said
was no different from what I often say
dad yaha except that it was in a
different language and not Mandarin it
was in Thai you or Taiwanese or which is
you could say also min but yeah so dad
yeah it's dad gay that gay who is how so
sounds more like fourth tone who how we
know we know how true is tasty so good
eat how shoot and in Taiwanese that'd be
good yeah you might know thank you is
yes yet well if you take off the first
you can also put door from need or
that so how old are you so doors how
many so Dorsia just means lots of thanks
so many thanks
don't try try that once good more door
door doors yet so it's quite nice
maybe after your next Chinese lesson
instead of saying yes yet to your
teacher yes yeah you could say doors
yeah many thanks Dwarfs yeah thank you
very much in Taiwanese is door yeah door
yeah and sounds actually a bit similar
in Cantonese which is forgive me if
those of you speaker and my
pronunciation might not be perfect at
all there's that doors a door there and
in Shanghainese for example it's you
know she she Ernie thank you is Cheyenne
Cheyenne Cheyenne on so that neither
comes nan so really really different in
other word in Cantonese which is quite
similar to Taiwanese and Mandarin is the
word for how which is whole whole so we
got who in Taiwanese ha Mandarin and how
sometime in these words just don't sound
anything like the Mandarin for example
took a donkey in Mandarin as Chicka
don't see is this thing for example am I
doing with a peg anyway
Chicka dong see in Cantonese I'm told is
hitting me yeah hidden me yeah
you can probably notice something look
what I'm doing with my with my voice
there when I go make yeah me yeah yeah
it's very nasal so there are certain
points in Tony's where you actually need
to use that nasal sound I can actually
say something quite random in Cantonese
and it goes like this
all day though hi ho no you in-game ID
yet that you yeah hi her yeah and
in Mandarin that would be woman dou yao
- new wrench yeah my dong she Borel ichi
- ah miss completely randomly means that
we are all going shopping to the new
rend road to the to the women to the
woman's road or street why don't we go
together so anyway I got that from a
textbook that was for Mandarin learners
who wanted to learn Cantonese so I'd
like to speak a little bit about
different Chinese accents now different
pronunciations of even just a Mandarin
there can be a lot of variety so in in
Beijing and in various regions up north
the Mandarin spoken is quite well known
for having and Hawaii in which is the R
sound and a lot of their words so I'm in
Beijing instead of saying washer was
John Goren they might say washer drunk
or dread so sure even the SH sound
sounds a bit more like it's got some are
in it so washer water drew Warren the
verb that you may have learnt already to
play computer games would be wired en
now yo C whereas in in southern trying
to be more like Juan Juan DNR your seat
and you might notice also that in
Beijing the tones are more pronounced so
there's really the clear the tones are
more extreme so her first home might be
a bit higher and third tone a bit lower
then you might you might notice those
contrasts more than you would in
southern regions sure MA dong Jie
so dong sheep but don't me see my the
high now instead of just like show madam
I see Shamu dong Jie obviously depends
on the person speaking in a situation
but you know for example
hey yo Chula tayo Tula really
interesting could be I have to go Taiyo
Chula tayo Chula so there can be that
much greater variety in pitch up north
whereas in Taiwan people can be quiet
almost almost there not not monotonous
but the the tones are not as as up here
and down and so you have to listen
harder to hear them for example watching
they butcher Dorian gets in the band I
don't know what I should do right now
wishing they boarded are waiting guides
in a band the tones were still there but
far less and if I said wash and I bore
Odawa yards am i ban so I was also
speaking a lot louder them another
really big difference between north and
south is consonants so you've probably
learnt now you've learned
gyeongwan and shoot to be okay well both
of those words would be pronounced
differently in southern China where
they're more likely to sound like
someone and Sue and instead of chew to
eat would be sue so if I was going to
say washer John Warren it might be war
third son Gua then was the tumbler then
we'll say the R sound you might notice
can alter a bit so instead of being
ripped in some parts of China can or
Taiwan it can become low so what song
well then then so do be aware of that if
you ever think oh how come that person
is speaking in a certain way it could
just be there's an influence from the
regional variety of Mandarin spoken from
and the accent perhaps influence from
the accent of the other language that
they know so if they know Taiwanese then
some of the sounds they make when they
speak Taiwanese might influence their
Mandarin so don't worry I'm not saying
you have to learn all of these different
languages but it's important to be aware
of their existence so that when you're
traveling for example to Taiwan or Hong
Kong or such one province or to Shanghai
you will hear a lot of other land
which is around you and it's really nice
if you can make the effort to learn even
just a couple of phrases like thank you
or hello goodbye or where is such and
such a place because it makes the locals
feel really respected and they're
probably much friendlier to you
so in Taiwan we could say pretty much
that Mandarin is the standard language
because it's used in on TV a lot and by
certain politicians and in education but
at home a lot of families will still
speak Taiwanese or min on you they will
still speak that language it makes
people feel really close that's why when
you do go around and you say something
like those yeah does she add those chat
like thank you door instead of doors
yeah people are like oh I mean ice or
Shane ice yeah perhaps not quite in that
voice but what I find really fascinating
is that you know we've is really
important to get to work on our tones to
make our tones as as good as we can but
strangely when you travel in China there
are places where all the tonal rules
we've learned from Mandarin just don't
seem to apply at all so if you go to
Whelan for example when I was there
actually had a haircut in quailing and I
was asking the hairdresser how would I
say yes yet in in with the local
pronunciation and I was told it would be
xie xie
which actually is like a bit like second
tone again with zai Jian that can
sometimes be dyed Yin which sounds more
like second tone so although I myself
quite think it's quite important to try
and get my tones right and for you as
well to get your tones right strangely
there is a sort of an argument that that
there isn't one perfect correct way of
doing tones because different regions
actually have different tones when
speaking Mandarin so that can make you
feel a bit better
if you find tones really difficult but
don't give up on them because they are
what make commander and juicy and make
it flow
like a river of silk can silk flow so
because Mandarin is very dominant now in
culture
so that's TV music film and also it's
very prevalent in business now as well
and education so a lot of people growing
up in Shanghai can speak flawless
Mandarin just like you they're learning
it at school and they might still speak
some Shanghai needs with relatives but
there is a risk that Shanghainese is
going to die out or at least be a very
very niche language that only a few
people know so I think that's a shame in
a way because some local cultures can
get lost but at least if you are aware
of it then when you go there you can
find out about some of these interesting
extra things about the different places
that you visit in China or if you meet a
person from China why not sort of find
out a bit about their language that they
speak in addition to Mandarin if there
is one it's a fascinating fascinating
world in terms of all the different
linguistic varieties you can encounter
when you're traveling in China so don't
be put off by the fact that not everyone
might speak amazing Mandarin it's
actually makes the world a more colorful
varied and exciting place
tsai-tien so my my pangyo doesn't seem
to be around today I think he's having a
shower oh well see you next time
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