So how does that work?

那究竟是怎樣？

When you think of the sounds that you put together to make a word, vowels and consonants

當你在想有甚麼聲音會用來建構成字， 就會想到母音和子音。

come to mind. And that's good. Usually. But to build words in tonal languages like

那就是了……通常。 但是在「聲調語言」，例如

Hausa or Mandarin, you need another set of musical pieces called tones to make meaning.

豪薩語和漢語普通話，組合成字還需要一些音樂元素， 就是「聲調」。

Yes, these languages pay attention to higher and lower notes like a singer or a musician.

對，這些語言會分辨高音和低音， 就像歌手與音樂家一樣。

They don't do this by requiring their speakers to have perfect pitch and hit the same notes

這些語言不要求說話者有完美音準， 不要求每次都與其他的人一樣命中同一音高。

as everyone else every time. Not everyone who speaks your language will be a mezzo-soprano

那些跟你說同一種語言的人， 不是大家都是次女高音的嘛。

after all. So, if it's not about the specific notes, how do tonal languages use so many

那麼，既然它不是與特定音高有關， 聲調語言怎樣能用那麼多聲調呢？

tones? They pay attention to changes in pitch. A syllable sung higher (háá) can mean something

聲調語言在意的是音高的變化（差距）。 一個音節用高調唱出 (háá) ，

different than that same syllable sung lower (hàà). Linguistically, we would count those

與用低調唱出 (hàà) 可以表達不同的意思。

as two different tones.

語言學上，我們會把這倆算成兩個不同的聲調。

Whether you're high, or low, or just right in the middle, you're contrasting steady

你是在高、在低，或是在中間， 就是在對比着穩定的音高。

notes. These different pitches are called register tones. In the Bantu languages of

這些不同的調，稱作「階位聲調 (register tones)」。

Africa and Athabaskan languages like Navajo, the two basic register tones are a high tone

在非洲的班圖語支 (Bantu languages)，還有德內語支 (Athabaskan languages) ，如納瓦荷語 (Navajo)，

and a low tone.

有兩個基本的階位聲調，高調和低調。

Changes in pitch can get more dynamic, rising, falling, bouncing or staying level like they

而音高變化其實可以更有動感， 升、降、反彈，或者平穩，

do in Mandarin or Vietnamese. These tones are more about the shape of the tone, not

可見於漢語普通話和越南語。 這些聲調着重的是聲調的輪廓起伏，

simply whether the note is higher or lower, so they're called contour tones. In Mandarin,

並非單純的高低差別， 所以稱為「曲線聲調 (contour tones)」。

a syllable can be pronounced in four different contour tones. In Thai, there are

在漢語普通話，一個音節可以用四個曲線聲調發音。

five contour tones.

在泰語則有五個曲線聲調。

Think you've mastered register versus contour tones? Well then, combine them! Mandarin may

你以為你已經精通階位聲調和曲線聲調的差別？ 好，把它們結合起來吧！

have four contour tones, but look to the south to see how Cantonese distinguishes a low rising

漢語普通話有四個曲線聲調， 但看看南方，看粵語如何分辨

tone from a medium rising tone. Oh, and it also has a high level tone, which is different

低升調和中升調。 啊，它還有高平調，與之不同的是

from a medium level tone and a low level tone. Add in the low falling tone, and you've

中平調和低平調。 再加上低降調，你總共有

got six ways to sing a Cantonese syllable!

六個方法去「唱」一個粵語音節！

Notice that both register and contour tones are “sung” on vowels. Consonants have

要注意，無論是階位聲調和曲線聲調， 都是在母音「唱出」，

your tongue blocking, smacking or pushing the airflow around, unlike the smooth, vibrating

子音會讓你的舌頭阻塞、擊打，又或到處推送氣流。

air characteristic of vowels, which makes them the perfect environment for singsongy tones.

與之相反，母音的特徵是順滑、空氣振盪， 是發出抑揚頓挫的聲調的絕佳環境。

Tones are an extra feature that tonal languages use to build words - rising, level and falling

聲調是聲調語言建構字音的額外元素－－

are as distinct as /p/, /t/ and /k/ - so speaking a word in a the wrong tone in one of these

升調、平調、降調就如 /p/、/t/、/k/ 一樣截然不同， 所以在這些語言，用了錯誤聲調講出一個字，

languages can sound as bad as putting a /k/ where it doesn't belong. This makes tonality

就如放了一個 /k/ 在它不應該出現的地方。

a notoriously difficult feature to pick up for people coming from a non-tonal language

這令聲調成為 －－對於從非聲調語言（如英語）過來的人來說， 一個惡名昭彰的難處

like English. (Much sympathy my friend!)

（我很同情啊，朋友！）

So keep your ears alert and practice, practice, practice.

所以要時刻專注在你的耳朵，練習、練習、練習。

Thanks again for learning with me and subscribe for language!

感謝你與我一同學習。為語言，訂閱吧！