tone sandhi; change of tone
Meanings
3 senses · 9 examplesverb
to undergo tone sandhi; (of a syllable) to change its original tone when in a tonal context
technicalA linguistic term primarily used in phonetics and phonology. In Mandarin, a common example is when two third-tone characters are adjacent, the first one changes to a second tone.
In Mandarin, the character 'nǐ' in 'nǐ hǎo' undergoes tone sandhi.
Learning tone sandhi is one of the key points in teaching Chinese phonetics to foreigners.
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When these two third-tone characters are read together, the first one must change to a second tone.
verb
to modulate; to change key (in music); to shift tone
Refers to changing the key in music or the pitch/intonation in speech or singing.
The chorus of this song suddenly modulates.
He uses a capo to change the key of the guitar.
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This melody modulates from one mode to another.
verb
(of speaking) to change one's original tone or accent, often due to strong emotion
informalDescribes a noticeable change in a person's voice quality, pitch, or accent, usually caused by fear, anger, excitement, or trying to imitate someone.
When he saw the snake, he was so frightened that his voice changed tone.
Whenever he gets anxious, his speaking voice changes tone.
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He imitated the leader's tone and deliberately changed his voice to speak.