What is the policy for marking the tones for 一 (yi1) and 不 (bu4) in sentences where their pronunciation changes according to tone sandhi rules?
I find inconsistencies in the sentences I review (probably my own fault for not checking before adding such sentences to my lists).
It would be great, however, to have a consistent policy either using the original tone in all instances or the “changed” tone based on what tones follow in the sentence. My own preference leans towards using the original tone of the stand-alone character and assuming that people will know how to pronounce it according to rules. This way is less prone to errors, I feel.
I’d appreciate any thoughts and actions sort out the inconsistencies.
The policy is to use the “changed” tone. This is preferred because many skritter users are just beginners to the Chinese language and the sandhi rules are not easy for them. For example, the 一年 in “我是個一年級的學生。” and “我爷爷是一九零一年出生的。” is read as “yīnián”, but it is read as “yìnián” in “一年有十二个月。” Showing the correct reading is extremely helpful. But since the policy is not straightly followed, the result is that it is more of a hindrance than a help. Actions to sort out the inconsistencies is important.
@pts is right, the policy is that the pronunciation of both 一 and 不 should include the tone changes. This is normally the case in textbooks too, and the reasoning is the same. However, this is not strictly followed for a number of reasons:
- Sentences are fetched from external sources with automatic Pinyin
- Sentences are added by users who don’t know about the policy
- Someone has made a mistake when adding or editing a sentence
We do our best to fix these sentences (I know, because I fix several every day). The only way we can improve the situation is by users reporting errors as they are found. These changes only take a few seconds for us to make once we know about them, so just send them in and we’ll fix them as soon as we can. Thanks!
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