Tone 聲調 (声调)
shēngdiào · from English
What is a tone in linguistics?
A tone is a pitch pattern that changes the meaning of a syllable, so the same sounds said with a different pitch become a different word.
In tonal languages pitch is part of the word itself, not just emotion or emphasis. Mandarin has four tones plus a neutral tone, Cantonese six (traditionally counted as nine), Northern Vietnamese six and Thai five. English speakers find tones hard because English uses pitch for intonation, so learners instinctively flatten tones when asking questions or stressing words.
Examples
媽 mā (mother); 麻 má (hemp); 馬 mǎ (horse); 罵 mà (scold); Thai ใกล้ glâi (near) vs ไกล glai (far)
Kungfucius says: Tones are not decoration. Say horse when you meant mother and the dinner table will let you know.