Page:English-Chinese Vocabulary of the Vernacular Or Spoken Language of Swatow.djvu/10



There are many matters which it would be interesting and useful, and even indispensable, to set forth in the introduction to a complete Dictionary of this language, but from causes already referred to, most of them cannot even be touched upon here. A few notes, however, are imperatively necessary.

VOWELS.

DIPHTHONGS.

ai, au, oa, oai, oi, ou, ua, ui. In all these each vowel is pronounced with its own proper sound.

CONSONANTS.

The consonants are nearly all as in English.

is pronounced as in church.

is always hard as in go; never as in gin.

is always sounded except when final.

is pronounced as in jet.

as in sing, ring.

always as in so, sing; never as in lose.

always as ds or da; never as in zeal, zone.

k and t as finals are so much alike as to be scarcely distinguishable.

m and ng will be found written without any vowel (e.g. n̂g, m̃); often also preceded by a consonant (e.g. hm̄, sńg, kng, hñg). "The nature of these syllables without a distinct vowel becomes at once unmistakable in singing, as at such a word all vocal sound at once ceases, and nothing is heard but a dull nasal murmur.