Page:Phrase Book in the Canton Dialect or Dialogues on Ordinary and Familiar Subjects.djvu/16

IV  in position to pronounce the last consonant. In the Canton dialect this tone is always indicated by a final k, p, or t. These consonants are not distinctly heard, but rather suggested, the enunciation ceasing the moment the lips and tongue are in position to sound the final letter.

In the following pages the tones are indicated as follows: For the upper tones commas are used, and are placed at one of the angles of the word. Thus: first tone, ,ying; 2nd tone, ‘ying; 3d tone, ying’; 4th tone, yik,. The lower tones are indicated in the same manner by a period at one of the four corners of the word. Thus .yung ˙yung yung˙ yuk..

The correct enunciation of the tones is the most difficult part of the pronunciation to acquire, yet it is a matter of prime importance, for one who wishes to make himself intelligible in conversing with a Chinaman, to use them correctly; for if no tones, or wrong ones, are employed, it will be difficult or impossible for the speaker to make himself understood.

Chinese, at least the spoken language, is not very difficult to acquire, and may be learned almost as readily as any of the European tongues. Of course, to obtain a thorough knowledge of the characters, so as to be able to recognize them and to write them, demands more labor, yet the difficulties are not insuperable, and maybe overcome by a little application and perseverance. It will be found best to begin very slowly, and to proceed more rapidly later, after one has become familiar with the peculiarities of the language. For the first month let the student learn but one sentence a day, but learn it thoroughly, so that he can repeat and write the Chinese at once after reading the English sentence, and can also repeat the English after looking at the Chinese characters or hearing them read. Each day, both before and after learning the new sentence, let him review those which he has already studied. After the first lesson has been thus perfectly learned, the student will find that he has acquired a certain facility in memorizing the sounds and the characters of the Chinese words, and he will thereafter be able to progress more rapidly. Discouragement will come only from attempting to do too much at the beginning.