| Abstract |
Mandarin is a very difficult language to master, even among the Chinese
community. This is mainly due to the fact that Mandarin is a tonal language,
which means that miscommunication can easily happen if the unwary learner
pronounces the word correctly right but gets tone wrong. In order to address
this conundrum, SOTINS focuses on two main aspects: tone and sound. The
syntax is different from that of English or Bahasa Malaysia and even with the
help of “pinyin” it is still hard to communicate the exact pronunciation of the
tones. Most NNS cannot get the tones right because their ears are simply not
trained to pick up the subtle nuances in the various tones. Failure to get the
tone correct can result in graves miscommunication. With this in mind,
SOTINS Interactive software has been innovatively designed to help learners
to pronounce correctly and get their tones right at the same time. This
interactive software will help the aspiring learner to pick up the nuances and
subtleties in the pronunciation of Mandarin words through drills and practices
specially designed with the complexities of the Mandarin language in mind.
Its innovativeness lies in the software’s provision for interactive feedback and
extensive exercises, taking into consideration the fact that no matter how
difficult mastery of a foreign language is, with the right amount of practice
balanced with intricate guidance, the learner will eventually be able to speak
the language correctly. |