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Touch at a Distance

Radiolab

NOTE

The Importance of Tones in Tone Languages

Tones in tone languages like Mandarin carry crucial meaning, as mispronunciations due to incorrect tones can change words drastically. Westerners sometimes make mistakes with tones leading to unintended and often humorous consequences in their speech. Unlike English, where pitch variation is not significant, in tone languages, hitting precisely the same pitch for certain words is crucial. This accuracy in pitch is observed with Mandarin speakers consistently maintaining the exact pitch for specific words, even across different days.

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