Different tones of Sheba
I had my first Chinese lesson last week with my teachers, Helen and Trinity. They're both 24 and teach English at this university after graduating from it just last year. They are both extremely cool and very patient teachers. I require it!
It must have sounded like a henhouse in my apartment. We went through each vowel -- a, o, e, i, u and u with dots over it. Then, we went through each of the four tones each vowel can take. Each tone has a different meaning. We began with "a:" a (flat), a (ascending), a (descending then ascending) and a (descending).
Then, we put the tones together with different consonants, beginning with "b:" ba (flat, meaning "eight"), ba (ascending, meaning "to yank/pull"), ba (descending then ascending, meaning "target"), and ba (descending, meaning "father").
I remembered that, growing up, we had a dog named Sheba. And so, to remember, I recited the many tones of Sheba: "She-ba" (flat), "She-ba" (ascending), "she-ba" (descending then ascending) and "she-ba" (descending).
Next, we learned the most critical phrase: wo (descending then ascending o) e (descending e) le (flat e): I am hungry.
