It’s A Helluva Language
One of the things that has been hardest about learning Chinese is the phonetic sounds the language requires which are often halfway between two sounds that we make in English. For example, my apartment is located close to a well-known bridge in Beijing, the San Yuan Bridge. The Chinese word for bridge is “chow” (phonetic spelling), and when taxi drivers say it they say it quickly and all in one word, like “sanyuanchow.”
When they do this the “n” in San is often only pronounced slightly. Then there’s Yuan. If you say it slowly and enunciate it correctly it’s “yoo-an.” However, when the locals speak it quickly it sounds different, closer to the Spanish name “Juan” than anything else. So, in order to pronounce this correctly so that taxi drivers can understand it, you have to imagine a word that’s exactly half way between “yoo-an” and “Juan,” then say it quickly with the “semi-silent n” version of San before it and the word “chow” after it.
Seriously, try it right now. It’s fucking damn near impossible. It took me a hell of a lot of practice to get to where I could say it, and even then I don’t get it right half the time and have to repeat it a few times before I’m understood. I’ll say it my way, and the cabbie will respond “sahwonchow?” Then I’ll say nod and say yes, indicating that he correctly understood my poor Chinese.
Update: Here’s one other example I just thought of. One of the phonetic sounds in Chinese which is particularly difficult to pronounce correctly is represented in pinyin by the letters “zh.” Most people reading this would pronounce it the way the “zh” is pronounced in “Dr. Zhivago.” That’s partially correct. But it’s closer to a “juh” sound, like in “justice.” So try to say a sound that’s halfway between “zhuh” and “juh” and you’ll have it.
Often times if you say either “zhuh” or “juh” in the word the Chinese can figure out what you mean. But to say it accurately is quite difficult.
