Sound
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Werner, E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers)
Vowels and Diphthongs
a as in father.
ai as in Italian amái.
ao. Italian ao in Aosta: sometimes á-oo, the au in cauto.
e in eh, en, as in yet, lens.
ei. Nearly ey in grey, but more as in Italian lei, contei.
ê. The vowel-sound in lurk.
êi. The foregoing ê followed enclitically by y. Money without the n = mêi.
êrh. The urr in purr.
i. As a single or final syllable the vowel-sound in ease, tree; in ih, in, ing, as in chick, thing.
ia generally as in the Italian Maria.
iai. The iai in the Italian vecchiaia.
iao as in ia and ao, with the terminal peculiarity of the latter.
ie as in the Italian siesta.
io. The French io in pioche. Page 426
iu as a final, longer than the English ew. In liu, niu, almost leyew, neyew. In chiung, hsiung, iung, is eeyong (ō in roll).
o. Between vowel-sound in awe and that in roll.
ou. Really êō; ou in round.
ü. The vowel-sound in the French tu, eût.
üa. Only in üan, which in some tones is üen. The ū as above; the an as in antic.
üe. The vowel-sounds in the French tu es.
üo. A disputed sound, used, if at all, interchangeably with io in certain syllables.
u. The oo in too; in un and ung as in the Italian punto.
ua. Nearly ooa, in many instances contracting to wa.
uai as in the Italian guai.
uei. The vowel-sounds in the French jouer.
uê. Only in final uên = ú-ŭn; frequently wên or wun.
ui. The vowel-sounds in screwy; in some tones uei.
uo. The Italian uo in fuori; often wo, and at times nearly ŏō.
ŭ. Between the i in bit and the u in shut.
Consonants
ch as in chair; but before ih softened to dj.
ch’. A strong breathing. Much-harm without the italicized letters = ch’a.
f as in farm.
h as ch in Scotch loch.
hs. A slight aspirate preceding and modifying the sibilant, which is, however, the stronger of the two consonants; e.g. hsing = hissing without the first i,
j. Nearly the French j in jaune; the English s in fusion.
k. c in car, k in king; but when following other sounds often softened to g in go, gate.
k’. The aspirate as in ch’. Kick-hard without the italicized letters = k’a; and kick-her == k’ê.
l as in English.