Page:Dictionary of the Swatow dialect.djvu/9



TONES.

Chinese word has a tone inseparable from its pronunciation. In the Chau-chau-fu vernacular there are eight distinct tones, which can be acquired only from a living teacher. Many Chinese teachers know no names for the tones, and different teachers place them in different orders. The following order is perhaps most usual.

cīeⁿ phêⁿ, upper even.

cīeⁿ sĭang, upper high.

cīeⁿ khṳ̀, upper going.

cīeⁿ jîp, upper entering.

ĕ phêⁿ, lower even.

ĕ sĭang, lower high.

ĕ khṳ̀, lower going.

ĕ jîp, lower entering.

These names do not express the relative sounds of the tones but appear to be purely arbitrary. Words in the entering tones always end in the sound of h, k, p, or t. Syllables ending in a vowel add an aspirate in the entering tone, while those ending in n change the n to t, those ending in ng change the ng to k, and those ending in m change the m to p. The same syllable is seldom found in all the eight tones. The tones may be represented to the eye as follows;