Page:First Lessons in the Swatow Dialect.djvu/12

4 ROMAN LETTERS.

The sounds of Chinese words cannot be exactly represented by Roman letters, used as in English. In this book the Roman letter whose sound in English approximates the Chinese sound, is taken as the symbol of that sound, and the exact pronunciation must be acquired from the Chinese themselves.

The vowels when followed by consonants are much shortened, especially when followed by h, k, t and p.

The aspirate does not coalesce with a consonant preceding it, but is sounded independently.

The sounds of p, k and t when not followed by the aspirate are so repressed as to resemble those of b, g and d.

Of the consonants all occur as initials, but only h, k, m, n, ng, p and t as finals.

ⁿ at the end of a word indicates that the vowels of the word are sounded nasally.

In all cases the pronunciation of the Chinese word should be learned through the ear and from a native teacher, and the Romanized words should be relied upon only as a help to the memory in learning.

The pronunciation of the same word varies greatly in the different districts. That followed in these lessons is that of the Departmental City.