Teaching and Learning the Pronunciation of Mandarin, Part II: The 12i as Backbone of the Method 有无道 yǒu wú dào

Abstract

Part I of this multi-part paper contains basic practical and introductory observations about difficulties faced by westerners in learning to pronounce Chinese ( Depuydt, 2024 ). It was argued that, in learning Chinese, pronunciation deserves a certain priority or precedence over grammar, vocabulary, and writing (calligraphy). A new method was introduced for studying pronunciation. It was called有无道 y ǒ u w ú d à o “The Way of y ǒ u w ú ,” in the spirit of Laozi. And a set of twelve (12) initial consonants plus Pinyin i called the 12i was defined. The 12i contains most of what is difficult to pronounce for westerners in Chinese. The design of the present Part II is to cement the 12i as the core for learning how to pronounce Chinese. Part III (and possibly beyond) is where this paper assumes a truly practical dimension for teaching and learning how to pronounce Chinese. Part III will discuss individual sounds, first and foremost seventeen (17) out of the twenty-one (21) initial consonants, including the 12(i) plus five (5) more. Practical hints and exercises pertaining to the pronunciation of individual consonants will be presented. As for the 12i, the proposals found in this paper reflect a student perspective. They derive from efforts to develop home-baked ways of pronouncing Chinese accurately over many months and years. A first oral report on these efforts was presented, partly in English and partly in Chinese, in the fall of 2021 at the 10 th International Conference of the New England Chinese Language Teachers Association (NECLTA), under the title 努力准确发音普通话: 西方初学者的一些观察 “Struggling to Pronounce Mandarin Accurately: Observations by a Beginner from the West.”