Want to learn Chinese? Then you should also be musical: the vocal modulation of vowels can, as in all tonal languages, change the meaning of a term or even turn it into its opposite. The resulting misunderstandings are usually funny—but can also have unpleasant consequences.
The following sentence is an absolute classic among Chinese teachers: “Can I ask you something?” If pronounced incorrectly, this seemingly polite question can create an extremely embarrassing situation–because you have just asked the other person for a kiss. While the characters for “ask” and “kiss” are clearly distinguishable, the pronunciation of the verb “wen” involves a detail that has caused sleepless nights for many a student of Chinese: the correct modulation of the vowel. You guessed it: we find ourselves in the exciting realm of tonal languages.
On average, two out of three languages are tonal.
People who grew up with German or English as their native language, for example, are completely unfamiliar with the concept of tonal languages. However, two-thirds of the world’s total of around 7,000 languages are considered to be tonal languages. Most of these tonal languages, such as Mandarin, Vietnamese, Thai, and Zulu, are spoken in Asia and Africa. There are also tonal languages in Europe. Norwegian, Croatian, and Lithuanian incorporate tonal elements, although to a much lesser extent.
Practice sets the tone
Therefore, anyone learning a tonal language must not only contend with the vocabulary, grammar, and script that is usually unfamiliar. They are also confronted with the infamous series of tonal exercises. In Chinese, there are four different tones to learn, which differ in terms of pitch, contour, duration, and intensity. The first tone, for example, is pronounced at a consistently high pitch and intensity. The second tone rises from a mid to high pitch, is very slightly shorter than the first tone, and has increasing intensity. Added to this is a falling-rising and a falling tone as well as a short, neutral tone of low intensity. Mandarin is by no means the record holder among tonal languages. The Hmong language group of East Asia distinguishes between as many as eight or more intonations.
Misunderstandings in tonal languages: when mother chides the horse
The misunderstandings created by beginners in a tonal language are usually rather bizarre because the different pronunciations result in terms with completely different meanings. The series of syllables “Māma mà mǎ ma?,” which often features in Chinese lessons, means (if intoned correctly) “Does mother chide the horse?” It’s worth pointing out that a certain degree of leeway is granted in everyday life: Chinese people are aware of the fact that their language poses major hurdles for learners—and will interpret incorrectly intoned terms correctly based on the context. However, things get tricky if the context does not clearly differentiate between pairs of terms. For example, the Chinese words for “buy” and “sell” are distinguished by intonation alone, which makes a strong case in favor of using professional interpreters for business contacts, for example.
It’s the climate, stupid
To European ears, tonal languages not only sound exotic but, above all, extremely melodious. Conversely, Chinese people, for instance, perceive languages such as German as distinctly “unmusical”—which presents them with similar problems when learning these languages that Europeans experience in Chinese lessons. But why have languages evolved in such fundamentally different directions?
An exciting theory could provide an answer to this question. Several studies point to the role played by climate in the development of tonal languages: They argue that the comparatively dry air in Europe has a negative impact on the modulation ability of the human vocal cords. More humid climatic zones, on the other hand, provide a certain degree of lubrication for the vocal cords, which enables them to produce a wide range of intonations. Therefore, any native speakers of European languages on vacation in China who have the monotony of their language pointed out to them respond with some justification: “It’s the climate, stupid.” The real skill is to convey these sentiments more politely and, most importantly, in the local language. With this in mind, we strongly recommend asking someone who speaks fluent Chinese.
