初级课程-1cours introduction-1

Initials  The initials can be divided into three types: Normal: These are pronounced like in English. Aspirated: Pronounced like y in English, but are said with a strong puff of air at the end of the consonant. Pronunciation Pattern: These initials don't directly correspond to any English letters or sounds. They use a pronunciation rule that has to be memorized. The initials that follow this pattern are shown as red in the left column.  listen to the audio file Initial How They Sound Pronunciation Notes b Like the p is spy, not the b in bye Corresponds closer to the sounds of a p p Like the p in pun Aspirated m Like the m in man   f Like the f in for   d Like the d in den   t Like the t in tongue Aspirated n Like the n in no   l Like the l in letter   g Like the k is sky, not the g in good More like a soft unaspirated k k Like the k in kite Aspirated h Like the h in hot   j Like the j in jeans Sounds like gee, but unaspirated q like the ch in the word reach   x Like the sh in she Said like a slightly longer she z Like the ds in buds   c Like the ts in cats Aspirated s Like s in the word sun   zh Like the G in German Said with your tongue pulled slightly back into your mouth. The sound is made from the back of your tongue tip (it takes a bit of getting used to). These are sometimes called the "retroflex initials" ch Like the zh above, but aspirated sh Like the sh in shoe r Like the r in run