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A Mandarin first tone is a high level and neutral pitch. Try saying "yeah" just a little higher than your normal voice, and also keep it the same pitch. What did that sound like? If you were to say that in a conversation what would you be expressing? In English a high level neutral pitched "yeah" indicates doubt. Its like saying "I see what you are saying, but I'm not sure." And we get all of that out of just saying "yeah!" (mandarin training in Beijing)
A Mandarin second tone is rising tone - you start your voice low and it comes higher. Say "yeah" with a voice lower than your normal voice level, then immediately rise it just a bit above your normal voice level. When you do this with "yeah" you usually are saying either "really? That's interesting." (mandarin course in Beijing)
A Mandarin third tone is a falling first, then rising tone. Say "yeah" starting high, then bring it down, then bring it back up. What does this mean in English? In a conversation most of the time it would mean "you are right, but what's your point?" (Chinese school in Beijing)
The Mandarin fourth tone is a falling tone. Imagine you are upset at someone and they just asked you a question you thought was a dumb question so you answer "yeah." Start a bit high then drop fast. In this case Yeah simply means yes, but with it you are also indicating that the person should have known better then to ask that question.
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Sources from How to Learn Chinese Tones Easily
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回复删除Very informative. Chinese is a tonal language. This doesn’t only mean that tones make up the words, but also that the meaning of the words themselves relies on their tones.When learning new vocabulary you must practice both the pronunciation of the word and its tone. The wrong tones can change the meaning of your sentences. Thanks a lot...
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