In a previous article, we introduced Initials and Finals. Today we will teach another important part of Pinyin: Tones. Many learners have difficulties mastering the tones of each character, but correct tonal pronunciation is essential for intelligibility because of the vast number of words in the language that only differ by tone.
1. Pinyin - Tones
Mandarin Chinese has four basic tones. The tone of a word describes how the pitch changes of a syllable. Chinese is a tonal language in which the tones convey differences in meanings.
2. What's so important about using the right tone?
When you speak Chinese, your teacher will always tell you: Speak your tones correctly! Why is this so important when you're speaking Mandarin? Because if you use the wrong tone you can get a totally different meaning to a word, and therefore a sentence.
Funny Story: Tony & The Chef
My student Tony is an American who lives in California. When he went on his first immersion trip to China, he Skyped me complaining of how fast people spoke there. He couldn't keep up! One night, he and his friends went to a restaurant for dinner. He mustered up the courage to talk to the Chinese chef. The chef spoke rapidly and Tony struggled to keep up. The chef wasn't speaking at a particularly fast speed for Mainland China, though. Tony, as many second language learners, just couldn't place each word. The four tones were getting jumbled in his mind. Tony took a deep breath and tried to say:
"今天是星期日 (Jīn tiān shì xīng qī rì.) Today is Sunday." 
But he used the wrong tone, and so the sentence became:
"今天是行乞日 (Jīn tiān shì xíng qǐ rì.) Today is a day of begging."
Tony did not pronounce accurately, so "星期 (xīngqī) week" became "行乞 (xíngqǐ) beg."
Pay attention to your tones!
4. How to drill? Read More
