Page:China- Its State and Prospects.djvu/188

164 The initials are sixteen simple, five aspirated, and one silent. The sixteen simple initials are as follows:—

The five aspirated initials are the ch, k, p, t, and ts, described above, pronounced with a strong aspirate between these consonants and the following vowels.

The silent initials give no sounds to the finals, which, therefore, when joined with this negative beginning, stand as they are; but wherever the diaræsis e, i, and u, occur in the final, y is prefixed, when writing the sound in English orthography, as ya, for ëa, yae for ëae, &c.

The forty-three finals, are as follows:—

ăn, as in woman. ang, as in bang. ăng, as in hung. aou, this sound is a combination of the a in father, and the ow in howl. ay, as in hay. e, as in me. e, as the French in je;—found only in combination with sh, sz, and tsz. ëa, as in meander. ëae, the a as in father, the e as in me. ëang, as ang in anger, preceded by e. ëaou, like the aou, preceded by e. ëay, as the ay in hay, preceded by e. ëen, as en in pen, preceded by e. en, as the e'e in e'er. ëo, as in geomancy. eu, as in the French peu. ëuen, as yawn, preceded by e. ëun, as the u in bun, preceded by e. ëung, as in young. ew, as in few. in, as in pin. ing, as in king. o, as in no. oo, as in loo. ow, as in cow. uen, as the final sound of lawn. un, as in bun. ung, as flung. urh, as in viper. uy, as in fluid. wa, as in quaternion. wae, as the former, succeeded by e. wan, as in truant. wăn, as in won. wang, as the a in father. wăng, as the a in woman. we, as in we. wei, as in wily. wo, as in wo. woo, as in woo.