Ca Dubose 11 months ago
The Third Tone is a Low Tone?

I keep hearing that in spoken Chinese, the third tone is actually a low tone and the rising-falling pattern only happens if the word is spoken in isolation or if it is being emphasized. Will the Domino Open course address this note about the third tone in a later level, or perhaps in the pronunciation course?

Lee Saunders (大力) 11 months ago

Hello,

I've not heard that before. Where do you keep hearing that? From Chinese people? What do you mean by a low tone?

The tone (falling→rising in this case) is perhaps the most important part of saying a word/phrase or part of.

I'm still learning, so this example may not be grammatically correct.

wo de ma bu kaixin, suoyi wo ma ma wo le. Which ma is which? ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ ↓ 我的马不开心,所以我妈骂我了。

Ca Dubose 11 months ago

I read it here and here. This lesson from ChineseFor.Us also explains something called a "half third tone." I was just curious if Domino Chinese will say something about it.

Lee Saunders (大力) 11 months ago

Thanks for the links.

It's an interesting point to explore, and a good reason why sounds should be taught as they are used in reality rather than in book world.

So, the third tone isn't honest. What a sneaky tone. 😱😱

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