Chinese Sounds and Tones app for iPhone and iPad

Chinese tones and pronunciation are very difficult to master. Ideally teachers in the classrooms would provide on-the-spot correction for bad tones and pronunciation. However, class size often prevents this from happening on a consistent level. This app fills this gap by providing systematic, guided practice drills that focus on initials, finals, the four tones, two-character tone combinations, difficult sounds, and three-character tone combinations. A progress schedule is built into the app, providing structured progress through the drills.

Each lesson first provides necessary background information and explanations, then engages users with practice exercises where users first hear the native speaker pronounce the words, after which there is a pause for the user to repeat. This process of hearing authentic Chinese then mimicking it is very effective in increasing overall tone and pronunciation accuracy. The greatest gains are achieved when users practice five days a week for a minimum of six months.

To increase the efficacy of the practice, English translations are provided for all words and phrases in the two- and three-character combinations. Users can refer back to these lessons at any time to learn these common words and phrases.