Page:A Manual of the Foochow Dialect in Twenty Lessons.pdf/6

Rh DIRECTIONS TO STUDENTS

For Orthography and Pronunciation, the student is referred to the instructions found in the Introduction to the Dictionary of the Foochow Dialect published by the Methodist Mission Press.

The practice of the British and Foreign Bible Society's edition of the Romanized New Testament has been followed, in the spelling of the words for this and that and the kindred words, which are spelt in the Dictionary with the final ui̤. The spelling uoi, in the opinion of the Authors, is preferable to ui̤, as it is that adopted in the Romanized Monthly Paper, and also in many educational works published in Romanized.

No system of Romanization can ever adequately represent Chinese sounds, which can only be properly learnt by listening to the speech of the Chinese themselves. The student must always bear in mind the important fact that Chinese sounds often differ widely from those of English words, and that Romanization only can suggest the sound, rather than adequately represent it. Hence the great advantage early on in the study of Chinese, of obtaining a knowledge of Chinese characters, and using a Bible and Hymnal in character, rather than in Romanized.

Tones in Combination

The Dictionary gives some excellent rules regarding the changes which take place in the sound of certain of the tones in combinations of two words, where the leading word often changes its tone entirely. This is especially true of the third, fourth and seventh tones, which revert to the first and second tones. The rules are stated so clearly in the Dictionary that there is no need to repeat them here.

The Dictionary, however, omits to state that in the case of the third, fourth and seventh tones, the vowel sound also changes, reverting to the sound of the first and second tones. Thus, Hóng-hĭng (奮興) Revival, is pronounced hŭng-hĭng. Hók-cĭu (福州) the native name of the capital of Fuhkien Province is pronounced Hū-cĭu. Hông-gáu (奉敎) to embrace the doctrines of a sect (this term is particularly applied to embracing Christianity) is pronounced hŭng-gáu.