Page:Chinese Local Dialects Reduced to Writing- An Outline of the System Adopted for Romanizing the Dialect of Amoy (IA jstor-592283).pdf/12

Rh Tones and Tonal Marks.

The Chinese of Amoy count eight tones; two of these, however (to wit, the 2d and the 6th), are one and the same. The names of these tones are as follows:


 * is chiⁿū piⁿâ = upper even.
 * chiⁿū siⁿa = upper tone.
 * chiⁿū khikhì [sic] = upper departing.
 * 4th chiⁿū jiṕ = upper entering.
 * 5th ē piⁿâ = lower even.
 * 6th ē siⁿa = lower tone.
 * 7th ē khì = lower departing.
 * 8th ē jiṕ = lower entering.

These two jiṕ tones always end in h, k, p, t. If the other tones end in a vowel, then the jiṕ ends in h, as: ba, bah. If the other tones end in ng, the jiṕ ends in k, as: kang, kak. If the other tones end in n, the jiṕ ends in t, as: kun, kut. If the other tones end in m, the jiṕ ends in p, as: kim, kip.

The chiⁿū siⁿa (2d) and ē siⁿa (6th) are the same.

The two jip tones are distinguished from all the others by their termination. The ē jiṕ (8th) is distinguished from the chiⁿū jiṕ (4th) by the mark ◌́ placed over it, as kut, kút; bak, bák. The chiⁿū jiṕ, therefore, needs no mark.

The chiⁿū piⁿâ (ist tone) has no tonal mark: its termination distinguishes it from the jiṕs, and its having no tonal mark distinguishes it from the other tones.

The 2d tone, or chiⁿū siⁿa is marked ◌́, as: kóng, bí.

The 3d tone (chiⁿū khikhì [sic]) is marked ◌̀, as: kàng.

The 5th tone (ē piⁿâ) is marked ◌̂, as: hêng.

The 7th tone (ē khì) is marked ◌̄, as: khiām.

Examples.