Mandarin with Dialect Accents
Not All Chinese Pronounce Madarin Right
Believe it or not, as a beginner, you are very likely to pronounce better Mandarin than many native Chinese.
Many Chinese pronounce Mandarin with strong dialect accents. In fact, 'Chinese tongue' does not mean Mandarin alone.
There are many dialects in China, and a native Chinese can be so comfortable with his dialect that he neglects the proper pronunciation of Mandarin.
Some distinctive pinyin sounds -- notably zh, ch, sh, r, j, q and x -- not found in English are not found in some Chinese dialects as well. As a result, many speech problems faced by non-natives are also faced by the natives.
Let me put it in another way. When you hear a native Chinese pronounce a Mandarin word differently from the way you do, do not immediately jump into the conclusion that he is right, and you are wrong. The real situation can be the other way around. This is especially so when you are outside major Chinese cities, like Beijing and Shanghai.
Many overseas Chinese do not pronounce proper Mandarin as well. Chinese in Hong Kong, for example, typically speak mandarin with strong Cantonese accents, and Taiwanese with strong Minnan (Hokkien) accent.
In Malaysia, Mandarin is often spoken with a unique accent found only in Malaysia. The Singaporean Chinese accent is more inclined towards Southern Chinese dialects, depending on the speaker's dialect background.
Even when you are in the mainland China, do not always expect standard Mandarin to be spoken.
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