| 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. |