Bending the Rules: Tone Change Patterns in Mandarin
Mandarin Chinese is famous (or infamous) for its tones. Most learners are taught the four main tones early on, but what often gets overlooked are the tone change rules, those sneaky adjustments native speakers make when tones collide in real-world speech. These changes, called tone sandhi (变调 biàn diào,) are not only natural but essential…