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The Fastest Way to Correct Pronunciation Say It Right . In I N f Learn lhe Essentials in Just 50 Millules! Easily Pronounced Language Systems • In CHINESE Easily Pronounced Language Systems, Inc. Clyde Peters, Author New York Chicago San Francisco Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan New Delhi San Juan Seoul Singapore Sydney Toronto CONTENTS The McGraw'HiII Compames How to Use this Book..... ................. ............ iv Copyright © 2009 by EPLS Publishing. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or Pronunciation Guide .................................. vi distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. EPLS Vowel Symbol System ....... _............... vii Tones ........................................................... viii 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 CSS/CSS 0 9 EPLS Consonants ....................................... ix ISBN 978·0·07·162878·5 (book for set) MHIO 0·07·162878·9 (book for set) iSay It Right................................................ x ISBN 978-0-07-162877-8 (book + disk set) Icons Used in this Book ................ .............. x MHID 0-07-162877-0 (book + disk set) Library of Congress Control Number: 2008941028 Essential Words and Phrases...................... 2 Author: Clyde Peters Airport ......................................................... 12 Illustrations: Luc Nisset President, EPLS Corporation: Betty Chapman, www.isayitright.com Checking In ................................................. 16 Senior Series Editor: Priscilla Leal Bailey Language Consultants: W. David Chen and Zhen Xie Chinese Character Consultant: Hong Chen Restaurant................................................... 22 McGraw-Hill books are available at special quantity discounts to use as Getting Around ............................................ 30 premiums and sales promotions or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative, please visit the Contact Us pages Shopping ...................... :............................... 34 at www.mhprofessional.com. Essential Services ........................... _............ 36 Also available: Say It Right in Arabic • Say It Right in 8razilian Portuguese Sightseeing ........................... ....................... 40 • Say It Right in Chinese· Say It Right in French. Say It Right in French, Audia Edition. Say It Right in German· Say It Right in Italian· Say It Health .......................................................... 42 Right in Italian, Audio Edition· Say It Right in Japanese. Say It Right in Korean· Say It Right in Russian· Say It Right in Spanish· Say It Right in Business............................... ........................ 46 Spanish, Audio Edition· Dfga/o correctamente en ingJes [Say It Right in English) General Information .................................... 48 Quick Reference Guide................................. 54 This book is printed on acid-free paper. 111 HOW TO USE THIS BOOK AUDIO-VISUAL AND AUDIO CD FLASHCARD PROGRAM The iSay It Right in Chinese disk that accompanies this 2. Video Flashcards book contains two components that will improve your The disk also contains a video flashcard program, pronunciation of Chinese and help you learn essential designed to help you learn important essential words and expressions. words and phrases. The flashcards combine audio recordings with a visual presentation of the EPLS 1. Audio CD Vowel Symbols. For each term, you hear the English The disk contains audio recordings of all words word followed by the Chinese spoken slowly and and phrases in the accompanying book. For each then at normal speed; on screen, you will see the expression you will hear: terms written in Chinese followed by the EPLS Pronunciation Symbols. • English word or phrase • Chinese translation spoken at slow speed To play the video on computer: by a native speaker 1. Insert the disk into your computer • Pause, long enough for you to repeat 2. Open the disk via My Computer • Chinese spoken at normal speed 3. Double-click on "iSay It Right in • Brief pause to repeat Chinese" icon or drag the icon to your The audio CD contains 54 tracks. The first track desktop and then double click. explains the EPLS Vowel Symbol Pronunciation System; thereafter, each track contains the The video can also be downloaded on your iPod expressions appearing on a single page, with the or MP3 player with video capability. Simply drag track number corresponding to the page number. the "iSay It Right in Chinese" icon into your iTunes For example, jump to track 22 for the Restaurant music library or the Library of your MP3 player. section that begins on page 22. The audio CD plays on all CD players and computers and can also be easily imported into portable MP3 players, via your computer. IV V PRONUNCIATION GUIDE EPLS VOWEL SYMBOL SYSTEM Most English speakers are familiar with the Chinese word ® ® CD @ Beijing. This is how the correct Ace See Ice Oak pronunciation is represented in the EPLS Vowel Symbol System. Bake Feet Kite Cold Safe Meet Pie Sold All Chinese vowel sounds are assigned a specific non-changing symbol. When these symbols are @ ® @ @ used in conjunction with consonants Cool Men Calm Up and read normally, pronunciation of even the most difficult foreign word becomes incredibly EASY! Pool Red Hot Sun Too Bed Off Cup On the following page are all the EPLS Vowel Symbols used in this book. They are EASY to @> @) @ @* LEARN since their sounds are familiar. Beneath each symbol are three English words which Hurt Would Cow Few contain the sound of the symbol. Turn Could Now New Practice pronouncing the words under each Her Cook How Dew symbol until you mentally associate the correct vowel sound with the correct symbol. Most symbols are pronounced the way they look! *This symbol represents a sound similar to the French u. The iSay It Right audio-visual program provides Put your lips together as if to kiss and say EE. a means to speak and be understood in Chinese. When two symbols appear side by side try to pronounce To perfect your Chinese accent, listen closely them as one sound as in the English word "Meow." to Chinese speakers and adjust your speech accordingly. This system is Fun, Fast and Easy and the same basic symbols are used in all Say It Right Phrase Books. vi Vll TONES EPLS CONSONANTS The word Ma, meaning Mother in Mandarin Chinese, Consonants are letters like T, D, and K. They are sounds exactly as in English but has several meanings easy to recognize and their pronunciation seldom depending on whether or not the vowel sound rises or falls changes. The following pronunciation guide in pronunciation. The four main tones of Mandarin are a letters represent some unique Chinese consonant very important part of the Chinese language and the EPLS sounds. Vowel Symbol System makes them easy to master! TS Pronounce these EPlS letters like the ts in First tone: Ah igh tone reflects a high Mother hits. There is a slight puff of air after the pitch. The EPLS symbol sits above Mil s. Say what's happening and try to get a the syllable to visually illustrate this. M@ sense of the slight aspiration before the h. This is very subtle but much appreciated ~ Second tone: Rising tone is reflected Hemp by native Chinese speakers. in mid to high pitch as in asking Ma "what?" in Engish. This symbol M@ OS Pronounce these EPlS letters like the ds tilts upward to reflect this tone. in suds. v Third tone:* The only tone which Horse ZH Pronounce these EPlS letters like s in goes in two directions. It starts Ma measure. downward to the low range then M@ rises. This symbol is placed below !3 The Chinese r has no exact equivalent. the baseline and tilts upwards. WHAT IS PINYIN? Mandarin Chinese is represented in '" Fourth tone: The falling tone Scold this book in both Chinese characters and Pinyin, Pinyin is is similar to saying "Stop!" in a Ma a romanized phonetic system officially adopted in China. commanding way. The symbol M@ Mhough Pinyin uses many letters that you are familiar simply tilts downward. with, unfortunately they often vary wildly in actual Chinese *There are two very important variations to the third tone pronunciation. Virtually everyone in China can read characters as well as a neutral tone. These will be explained on page so we have added this feature as an addrtional tool allowing 3. Have a Chinese-speaking person pronounce some words you to point to what you are trying to communicate. for you and listen to the variations in sound. viii IX I SAY IT RIGHT You will be amazed at how confidence in your pro nunciation leads to an eagerness to talk to other people in their own language. Say It The user has a higher chance of pronouncing the sounds as the native speaker would understand them by using the consistent and easy-to-use EPLS Vowel Right Symbol System. in Whether you want to learn a new language for travel, education, business, study, or personal enrichment, iSay It Right.com language audio programs offer a CHINESE simple and effective method of pronunciation and communication. ICONS USED IN THIS BOOK ~ KEYWORDS ~ This icon indicates key words that are important to know and words that you should become familiar with. ~ PHRASEMAKER ~ - The Phrasemaker icon provides the traveler with a choice of phrases that allows the user to make his or her own sentences. x Say It Right in Chinese 3 ESSENTIAL WORDS Good morning. AND PHRASES Zao shang hao. 1f!r~ Here are some basic words OS@ SH@NG H~ and phrases that will help Good afternoon. you express your needs and feelings in Chinese. Xiawu hao. r"F~ SH®@-W@ H~ Hello Nl hao! ffJ\ ~ Good evening. Good night. N@ Wan shang hao. ~r~f Wan an ~'t2 H~ W@N-SH@NG W@N-@N H~ How are you? Nl hao rna? 1fJ\~Pl?J? See you later. Good-bye. N@ H@ M@ Yl hui'er jian. -4:dL~ Zai jian. :j3} ~ @ H@@B J@®N OS(£) J®®N Very good, thanks. Hen hao xiexie. 1LUfi]ji]j Third tone variations: 1. Notice in the Pinyin phrase "Nlhi'io" J--I@)N H@) SH@@ ~ there are two third tones in a row. In actual pronunciation the first tone becomes a second or rising tone. By following Ok! So so the vowel symbol which tilts upward you will do this Mama HuhiI. J;bJ;bmm naturally! M®-M@ H@-H@ 2. A third tone followed by any other tone including a neutral tone* becomes a low tone. The vowel symbol sits below Literally: Horse Horse Tiger Tiger the base line but does not tilt up. This is by far the easiest And you? tone to master. Just think low. Nl ne? 1fJ\~ ? *Neutral tones: A neutral tone means exactly that. You pronounce it with little emphasis and evenly. The EPLS N® N@> symbol sits on the baseline and does not tilt in any direction. 2 4 Say It Right in Chinese Say It Right in Chinese 5 KEYWORDS I don't understand! (Literally: I not understand) Wo bu dong. ~/Gtl Yes W@ B® D©)NG Shi ~ Do you understand? SH@ NY ling de dong rna? 1~nJT8/,j'tln~? No OK N® T®NG D@ Bu shi /G~ Hao M D©)NG M@ B® SH@ H~ I'm a tourist. Please WO shi yf ge you ke. ~:f&-1-Wf~ QYng iW W@-SH@ @-G@ Y©)-K@ CH@NG I don't understand Chinese. Thank you Wo bu dong h~m yii. ~/G'II¥Xitt W@ B® D@NG Xiexie ni i~fi~H~ H@N Y@ SH®® SH®® N® Do you speak English? You're welcome Bu xie /Gi]j NY hui jiang ylng yii rna? 1~~i}\:~ i:gn~ N® H@@ J®@NG B® SH®® Y®NG Y@ M@ I'm sorry DuibuqY X>f/G~ Please repeat. D@@-B@ CH@ QYng nY zai shuo yibian. iW1~:P} i5l. -:Ii CH@NG N® DS0 This simple way of saying I'm sorry can be used in several situations such as when you want to ask a question or SH@@ @-B®®N when you are trying to get through a crowd! 6 Say It Right in Chinese Say It Right in Chinese 7 ASKING FOR PHRASEMAKER THINGS Combine "I would like" with the following phrases beneath The following phrases are it and you will have a good idea valuable for directions, food, how to ask for things. help, etc. I would like ... I would like ... WO xiangyao... :flt~~ WO xiang yao... :fJUlt~ W® SH@@NG-Y@ ... W® SH®@NG Y@ ... coffee ~ I need ... Can you ... kafei IWU!tlI: Wo xii yao... :flt1ffl~ Nl neng... 1$~~ K@-f® W@ SH@)-Y@ ... N® N@NG ... some water ~ When asking a question it is polite to say "May I ask" and shih Jj( "Thank you." SH@)@ May I ask? ice water Mafan ni? J# ~JY 1$ ? ~ bIng shiH i7j( 7]( M®-f®N N® B@NG SH@)@ Thank you. the menu ~ Xie xie ni. iA1i!lt1$ caidan ~-!ft SH®@ SH®® N® TSQ)-D@N