Re: Tone question

Mark --

Those are really interesting questions.  I'm learning
Mandarin currently and their phrases don't use tone
for inflection or have an overall tonal arc like in
English.  I can't answer your second question exactly,
but I would say they do realize the similarities
because tones can be confused and some words are
exactly the same, such as the word "lu" for deer and
road -- it has the same tone and can only be
distinguished with a measure word ("tiao" for road and
I'm blanking on the word for deer right now).  I have
a native Mandarin speaking conversation partner, I
could ask her and see what she says.

                      -- Erika

--- "Mark J. Reed" <markjreed@...> wrote:

> As a tone-deaf 'Murkin, I have some questions on
> tone languages,
> especially Mandarin.
>
> First, is there still phrasal intonation, as we have
> in English,
> providing a sort of overall tone arc limiting the
> range within which
> the individual tones operate?
>
> Second, do linguistically-untrained/naive native
> speakers of toned
> languages recognize the relationship between
> differently-toned
> versions of the "same" vowel?  That is, does a
> Mandarin speaker, even
> before encountering Pinyin spelling, automatically
> recognize that a1
> and a2 are variations on a common theme?  Or do they
> hear them as
> utterly distinct and require that the relationship
> be pointed out,
> like that between /b/ and /p/ in English?
>
> Thanks!
>
>
> --
> Mark J. Reed <markjreed@...>
>

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