Knee Howdy - Intro - Chap 1

KneeHowdy

Challenge Chinese Vocabulary Words to a Duel and Bury em Six Feet Under in Your Brain

Table of Contents...........................................Introduction! 3

...........................................Sounds Like! 5

...................................Problem Sounds! 6

.........................English Has Tones Too! 8

...................Chapter 1 - Knee Howdy!! 11

..................Chapter 2 - Running Shirt! 29

...............Chapter 3 - Wowie Kazowie! 39

...................Chapter 4 - Gong Swatter! 55

................Chapter 5 - Mahjongg Wars! 69

...........................Chapter 6 - Rolaids! 83

.........................Chapter 7 - High Shirt! 97

..............Chapter 8 - Seeing the Way! 107

............................................Appendix! 117

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IntroductionThe mission of this book is not only to help you memorize how to say your first words of Mandarin Chinese, but to also inspire you to learn hundreds or even thousands more. You shouldnt have to use flashcards, just use your imagination instead. When children memorize all the names of the characters in an animated feature film, it isnt because they study long and hard, its because they actively engage in these stories with their imaginations. We will use this same technique to help us conquer two major obstacles to learning Chinese words.

The first problem with Chinese vocabulary is that there are very few words that sound similar to their English counterparts. An example of one such rare cognate is kfi*, which sounds similar to COFFEE . It makes that word easy to remember, but most Chinese words sound nothing like their English counterparts. Unless you stretch your imagination and twist the words a little, there will be no hook on which to hang your new words.

To that end, in each chapter there are brief dialogs followed by wacky little micro-stories stories that will stimulate your imagination and make the new vocabulary words practically unforgettable. You can improve your

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* Pronounced like CAR FACE (Only pronounce the bold letters) with two relatively high pitched tones.

For a fairly comprehensive list of words that do sound the same as English words, see Loan Words in the Appendix.

memory even further if you tell your friends about them when you are away from the book. Retelling the stories in your own words and laughing out loud with friends will embed the words deep in your mind.

A second problem we will conquer is the often-intimidating 4 tones. You have to stand up and get your body moving. For instance, if a word you are trying to remember is a 4th tone word, you might stomp your foot when you say that word. Make the tone hint movements described in this book and you can stay physically active while you at the same time build mental muscle memory.

A Word of Caution

Please, do not fall into the trap of thinking that it would be easier to just memorize these words by rote. Dont be a fuddy duddy! It has been scientifically proven that if you are having fun while learning, then you will produce better results.

So stand up and face your enemy with your hand on your weapon. Get ready to learn to be a quick draw.

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Sounds LikeA pronunciation helper is offered with each new appearance of a Chinese word in this book. For example:

Character:Pinyin:

Sounds like:English:

n hoknee howdyhello

Notice that the last two letters of the word HOWDY above, the D and the Y, are not bold. The reason is that these two letters are silent. To pronounce the Chinese word correctly you should only say KNEE HOW and leave off the DY sound. I could have tried to make up a story using the word HOW, with no bold letters at all, but this would probably just be too boring and not stimulating enough to provide a good memory hook. How do you imagine the word HOW anyway? On the other hand it is easy to conjure up an image of the word HOWDY.

Extra helpIn case you arent sure how to pronounce a word or you just want to hear a real Chinese person say them, you can visit KneeHowdy.com to listen to any of these words pronounced by a native speaker. There is a downloadable chart that lets you listen to any and all Chinese sounds. I highly recommend it.

Problem SoundsMost Chinese sounds have a very similar sound in English. There are a few sounds, however, that take more practice. For instance, there are two SH sounds in Mandarin Chinese. One is spelled with an sh and one is spelled with an x. If you dont distinguish between these two SH sounds, you might not hear the difference, but the native listener will. Just like you can readily hear the difference between TH and S, but a Chinese person has trouble.

c - Sounds like the last two letters of CATS

ch - Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth and make a CH sound.

r - Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth and make an R sound.

Advanced: Let a little air pass through so it makes a very slight SH sound at the same time.

sh - Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth and make an SH sound. If your tongue is in the right place it will also make an R sound as in the word SURE.

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- Put your mouth in the position to make a long E sound. Like this, EEEEEEE. Then while you keep making the long E sound and move only your lips to how you would have them if you were going to make a long U sound. The resulting sound is kind of like a long U and a long E mixed together.

x - Sounds like a hissing sound but with an SH sound instead of an S.

Advanced: Touch the tip of your tongue to the back of your bottom front teeth. Hold that while you also touch the top of your tongue to the ridge near your teeth at the roof of your mouth. This is where the sound somes from. Try to make an SH sound by letting air pass between the top of your tongue and the ridge. It should come out sounding like a weaker, hissing SH, and that would be correct.

z - Sounds like the middle two letters of KUDZU.

zh - Touch your tongue to the roof of your mouth and make a J sound. If your tongue is in the right place it will also make an R sound as in the first part of the word JURY.

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English Has Tones TooDont let anybody scare you when they talk about the 4 tones of Mandarin Chinese. English has all those tones and more. The only difference is, whereas English tones can convey meaning and emotion, Chinese tones can only convey meaning.

When you write Chinese using English letters instead of Chinese characters you indicate the tone with either a special series of symbols or by putting the tone number right after each syllable. This is called Pinyin or pin1yin1.

Meet the 4 tones

1st Tone

Symbol: Pitch: Relatively high, but not like a chipmunk.

This is the tone you make when a doctor tells you to stick your tongue out and say Aaaahh.

2nd Tone

Symbol: Pitch: Rising from a medium pitch to the same as 1st.

This tone sounds exactly like the lilt at the end of a question. Examples: What? Eh?

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3rd ToneSymbol: Pitch: Usually Low.

This tone is usually just a low tone, but there are a few exceptions:

When it is immediately before another 3rd tone it sounds exactly like a 2nd tone and the next one is just a normal low tone. Thats why n ho sounds like n ho.

Advanced: When it is to be sa id by i tse l f , to be emphasized in a sentence or to be said at the end of a sentence it starts medium low then goes lower and then goes up to medium.

4th ToneSymbol: `Pitch: Falls abruptly from medium to low.

Until you can do this tone perfectly you might have to stomp your foot or clap your hands while you say a word with this tone.

The Fifth Tone

Symbol: (none)Pitch: Neutral

Some call this a tone and some dont. The reason is because it is neutral, just like an unstressed syllable in English.

An example is the word CHICKEN. In English, that f i rst stressed syl lable CHICK- is stressed like the Chinese 4th tone and the last syllable -EN has no stress , s imi lar to the Chinese neutral tone.

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These are all tones that we have in English. So believe me, you can do it and with practice you will be able to do it well!

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Chapter 1 - Knee Howdy!

Dialog

You:Hello. My name is _________.* Whats your name?N ho. W jio __. N jio shnme mngzi?

Chen Yang:My last name is Chen. First name is Yng.W xng Chn. Jio** Yng.

You:Pleased to meet you.Jin do n hn goxng.

Chen Yang:Likewise.W y sh.

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* See page ? for a list of common English names pronounced in Chinese.

Most Chinese verbs can include the thought of to be. So, there is no need to say I am called, I called is correct in Chinese. Also, since there is absolutely no conjugation in Chinese, it would literally be translated as I call instead of I called.

To form a question, you usually phrase it the same was as a statement but you put the question word in the spot where the answer is supposed to go.

Chinese give their family name first and their given name last, the opposite of how we do it.

** If the subject of a sentence is understood, you dont have to repeat it in a second sentence.

In Chinese lots of words can act as verbs and adjectives. For instance, goxng. This can mean happy (adjective) or it can also mean to be happy (verb).

Literally: I also be. Or, I also am.

Character:Pinyin:


nkneeyou

Memory Hook: Imagine a teacher that calls on people by pointing at them with her knee. Instead of pointing with her finger and saying "you", she points with her knee and says n.

Tone Hint: While saying "knee" point down at your knee and then raise your knee up to meet your finger. That is how the tone is said when it is alone or at the end of a sentence. Down then up.

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Character:Pinyin:


hohowdygood

Memory Hook: When a cowboy says "Howdy", we know he is saying that everything is fine and good.

Tone Hint: Its the same way as a cowboy says it when he's real relaxed. Low then comes back up at the end.

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Character:Pinyin:


n hoknee howdyhello

Memory Hook: Kung fu master delivers a KNEE to the face of a cowboy saying Howdy. Thats a mighty fine way to say hello.

Tone Hint: When two 3rd tones are together, like in n ho, the first syllable changes to a 2nd (rising tone). When you picture this in your head, imagine the kung fu master rising up through the air to knee the cowboy in the face. This only relaxes the cowboy and he says "Howdy".

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Character:Pinyin:


wmoi? (french)I, me

Memory Hook: You are in Paris. Someone points at you accusatively. You respond innocently, "moi?. MOI means me in French.

Now you are in Beijing. Again, someone points at you accusatively. You again respond innocently, w?. W means I or me in Chinese.

Pronunciation Hint: I understand that you might not know French, but you almost certainly have heard the French word MOI. Google it if you have to.

Tone Hint: Imagine how a snooty woman would respond to an accusation, a low then rising tone. Moi?

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Character:Pinyin:


w jioWATCH OUT!Im called (literally: I call)

Memory Hook: Of course you are scared when you meet a new Chinese person because you know you're going to practice what you've learned. So, tell yourself to watch out and you will be saying Im called _____.

Pronunciation Twist: Replace the tch sound with a J sound.

Tone Hint: If you say watch out! quickly in an emergency, you will probably start with a low tone and then a stomp your foot tone.

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Character:Pinyin:


jiojowls (the cheeks of a hound dog)call

Memory Hook: You have a pet hound dog named Jowls. Call him over to you... He doesn't come. Call him over again, but this time stomp your foot when you yell his name sharply. Jowls! Get over here!

Tone Hint: Its a good idea to actually get out of your seat and stomp your foot when you are practicing the 4th tone.

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Character:Pinyin:


shnmeshun motherwhat

Memory Hook: For what possible reason would you shun your mother? What did she ever do to you?

Tone Hint: When you say WHAT? the tone is a rising question-like tone. It is the same with the first syllable of shnme. The last syllable is a neutral tone, which is very similar if not the same as any other unstressed English syllable.

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Character:Pinyin:


mngzimean gesundheitname

Memory Hook: Have you heard the joke about how Chinese people name their children? They throw some pots and pans on the ground and whatever sound it makes is what they name their newborn.

Well, this is only partially true. What the joke doesnt explain is that they wait for the babys first sneeze. This always startles everyone around and someone invariably drops whatever they are carrying. That is when they find a name for the baby.

Now of course the baby doesnt like that and if he could talk (and speak English) he would undoubtedly say Now, that was a mean gesundheit!

Pronunciation Twist: The S in GESUNDHEIT is pronounced like the letter Z. Pronounce the N and the G together to make an NG sound.

Tone Hint: Simple! When we are talking to someone, we usually ask their name. When someone asks a question there is usually a rising tone at the end of the sentence. There is always a rising tone on the first syllable of the word mngzi.

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Character:Pinyin:


xngWashingtonlast name, family name, surname

Memory Hook: I approached a Chinese person that I hadnt met before in my town and I asked him his name. N jio shnme mngzi?, I said. He replied, W xng Chn. I was a beginner so I thought he was telling me that his name was Washington. Then I said Pleased to meet you, Wxngchn. Needless to say I was embarrased when I realized I had inadverdantly told him that I also have the same last name as him, Chen.

Tone Hint: That was one of my first embarrasing mistakes I made while learning Chinese. I am sure there will be more. When I make a mistake like that I feel like stomping my foot.

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Character:Pinyin:


jinG.N.to see

Memory Hook: You arrive at work a few minutes late, as usual, and immediately your friend, whom you have always expected is not really your friend, tells you that the General Manager wants to see you. Your hearts skips a beat but then keeps a steady, pounding rhythm. What are you going to do? The manager wants to see me!, you say wishing you could take the exclamation point off the end of that sentence and replace it with a question mark. You could hide, but that would be childish. You could run away, but that would show fear.

Take my advice. Heres what you should do. You should walk calmly to the G.M.s office and rip the leg off the M on the little G.M. sign on the wall beside the door to his office. That way you can just go to your cubicle secure in the knowledge that you now have an excuse for not obeying and going to see him. - All I could see was a G.N. sign on the door, so I assumed you had moved to a different office. I knew I was supposed to see the General Manager, not the General Nanager.

Tone Hint: When you imagine ripping the leg off of the M, thrown it down to the ground to remember the 4th tone, the falling tone.

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Character:Pinyin:


doendowto arrive

Memory Hook: When my mother brought me into this world, when I first arrived, I was endowed with many gifts.

Tone Hint: Thats what your mother told you? We all know what she really meant was that when you first arrived she accidentally dropped you on the ground. Oops!

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Character:Pinyin:

Sounds like:Literally:English:

jin doG endow see arriveto see

Explanation: Why do we use see and arrive together here? Well, in this phrase, the do gives it a bit of a past tense feel. It is kind of like saying to have arrived at seeing.

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Character:Pinyin:


hnhoneyvery

Memory Hook: Honey is very sweet.

Tone Hint: You need to use your imagination to make this one stick (no pun intended). Perhaps you can imagine your head hanging down low by the toilet. You ate too much very sweet honey and now you are very sick.

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Character:Pinyin:

Sounds like:Literally:English:

goxnggouge shingleshigh excitementhappy, in a cheerful mood

Memory Hook: You are sick again, but this time you have adult chickenpox or shingles. The doctor says not to scratch but you know deep down that the only thing that is going to put you in a cheerful mood is for you to gouge your shingles with one of your leftover chopsticks. Imagine how good it will feel to scratch that itch.

Tone Hint: The tones of this word aptly describe what would really happen if you scratch your itch. Sure, your are on a brief high at first, but the ensuing pain drops you back down in the dumps. Was it worth it?

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Character:Pinyin:


yYesterday OR Yellow Submarinealso, too

Memory Hook: Your grandpa forgot the words to Yesterday, by the Beatles.

Sing it grandpa!:Yesterday. Also my troubles seemed so faraway.Also, I know that that they are here to stay. Oh, I believe in yesterday, too.

Encore!:We also live in a yellow submarine.A yellow submarine.A yellow submarine, too.

Tone Hint: It is all fun and games when he sings it at home, but when grandpa showed up at your school singing the Beatles in front of all your friends, your head hung low.

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Character:Pinyin:


shsureto be (includes all the forms of to be: is, are, am, etc.)

Memory Hook: Imagine this dialog of a husband and wife:

Wife: Am I pretty? Husband: Sure.Wife: Are you in love with me? Husband: Sure.Wife: Is sure all you have to say me? Do you even want to be my husband?Husband: Sure.

Tone Hint: A sharp clapping sound echos through the kitchen as the wife slaps her hand across her husbands face.

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Knee Howdy - Intro - Chap 1

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