Page:Chinese spoken language.djvu/19

Rh ment of a turns downward one note. This is exactly the variety of enunciation, distinguished by the second, or siong7 siong2 tone in this dialect.

The third, or primary diminishing tone, called siong7 k’ëü3, is what elocutionists call the rising third, and is heard in English on the emphatic word in a direct question, as, “Does it rain?” where the voice turns upward, through the interval of two notes of the octave.

The fourth, or primary abrupt tone, called siong7 ih8, turns the voice upward through the same interval as the third tone; but it terminates abruptly, as though the voice was suddenly interrupted in an effort to pronounce a final h. In words which, in other tones, end in ng, the abrupt close of the fourth tone sounds somewhat like a suppressed, or half-uttered k, but the clicking sound of the k is not heard. If a person should attempt to ask the question, “Can you open the lock?” and he suddenly stopped before enunciating the final clicking sound of the k, he would give to the last word the primary abrupt tone.

The fifth, or secondary smooth tone, called ha7 ping5, is a quick, forcible enunciation, commencing about two notes above the ordinary key, and suddenly dropping down, at the close, to the key note. It is what is called by elocutionists the falling third, and, when emphatic, the falling fifth. It is sometimes called the scolding tone. It is heard in a petulant enunciation of the emphatic words in the sentence, “No! I’ll do no such thing.”

The sixth tone is identical with the second, and no words are arranged under it; that is, no secondary high, or rising tone, has yet been invented in this dialect.

The seventh, or secondary diminishing tone, called ha7 k’ëü3, is a guttural downward circumflex. It is, in English, expressive of peculiar emphasis, frequently indicating rebuke, scorn, or contempt, as,

The words very many, if spoken with forcible emphasis, would also exhibit the tone under consideration.

This is probably the most difficult tone in the language to enunciate correctly, under all circumstances.