Ooh, I didn't know about the "e" thing, thanks. Which of those would you say the "e" sound at the 2:45 mark in this video is?
The "uh" one. Compare it with the sound at 3:45, where she says "ie" (which is spelled "ye" as a syllable on its own, but "ie" if a consonant precedes: qie jie xie) -- that one is ê, the "eh" sound.
You'll also notice that several of the names of the consonants end in -e (with the "uh") pronunciation: de te ne le ge ke he.
(The bilabials and labiodentals have -uo, though, which is spelled -o in those cases: bo po mo fo; j q x have -i, and zh ch sh r z c s have the weird retroflex vowel that's also spelled -i in pinyin.)
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Date: 2010-07-01 07:29 pm (UTC)The "uh" one. Compare it with the sound at 3:45, where she says "ie" (which is spelled "ye" as a syllable on its own, but "ie" if a consonant precedes: qie jie xie) -- that one is ê, the "eh" sound.
You'll also notice that several of the names of the consonants end in -e (with the "uh") pronunciation: de te ne le ge ke he.
(The bilabials and labiodentals have -uo, though, which is spelled -o in those cases: bo po mo fo; j q x have -i, and zh ch sh r z c s have the weird retroflex vowel that's also spelled -i in pinyin.)