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Pinyin: Syllable Structure, Tone Marks, Spelling, and Uses

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

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Summary

Pinyin is the most widely used way to write the sounds of Standard Chinese with the Latin alphabet. This lesson introduces its purpose, name, and history.

Hanyu Pinyin (often shortened to pinyin) is the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet. Hanyu means “Han language,” or Chinese, and pinyin means “spelled sounds.” It represents the pronunciation of Standard Chinese using letters and tone marks; it does not replace Chinese characters as the normal writing system.

All flashcards

What does Hanyu Pinyin represent, and what does it not replace?
It represents Standard Chinese pronunciation with Latin letters and tone marks, but it does not replace Chinese characters.
What do “Hanyu” and “pinyin” mean?
“Hanyu” means the Han language, or Chinese; “pinyin” means “spelled sounds.”
When was pinyin officially adopted in China, and when did it become ISO 7098?
China adopted it in 1958; ISO adopted it as ISO 7098 in 1982.
What is the usual structure of a Standard Chinese syllable?
An optional initial followed by a final, which may contain a medial, nucleus, and coda.
How does pinyin spelling represent tone sandhi?
Tone sandhi can change pronunciation in connected speech, but those changes are not ordinarily shown in pinyin spelling.

Quiz questions

  1. Which diacritic represents the second Mandarin tone in pinyin?Answer: An acute accent.
  2. In the written pinyin final “ou,” which vowel receives the tone mark?Answer: The letter o.
  3. In the usual analysis of a pinyin syllable, what is an initial?Answer: The syllable’s starting consonant.
  4. What happens to the dots of ü after j, q, x, and y in standard pinyin spelling?Answer: They are omitted by convention.
  5. Which statement best describes pinyin’s scope?Answer: It represents Standard Chinese, not all Chinese varieties.

Based on the Wikipedia article Pinyin, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

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