Experience 1

Listen to these 2 speakers of 2 Vietnamese dialects several times. You can take any form of notes to help you answer the questions below.

Người số 1:

Speaker 1

Speaker 1 (slow)

Người số 2:

Speaker 2

Speaker 2 (slow)

Answer the following questions and compare your answers with a classmate.

1. What are your impressions about each speaker? How would you compare them in the following aspects? Select the person.

More pleasant: Người số 1 Người số 2

More friendly: Người số 1 Người số 2

More respectable: Người số 1 Người số 2

More fun to be with: Người số 1 Người số 2

2. How many tones did you hear in each person's speech? What are they?

3. Listen closely to the beginning sounds of each word. How do the speakers differ in these sounds?

4. Listen closely to the ending sounds of each word. How do the speakers differ in these sounds?

5. Your teacher will show you the written transcript. How well does the Vietnamese orthography capture the sounds?

Experience 2

You will listen to two speakers reading the same text. Guess which dialect each speaker speak - northern or southern.

- Which dialect does this speaker speak?

- Which dialect does this speaker speak?

Next, go to the Resources page to learn more about Vietnamese orthography, sound system, and dialectal variations.

Dialect Sample Text