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as -ae, when the following consonant is -ng or -k), as well as a contrast in voice quality: the lax finals are accompanied by lax voice, while the tense finals are accompanied by tense voice. This contrast in phonation type is particularly noticeable with the tense/lax pairs of finals -aeng/-ang and -aek/-ak, in which the tense vowel is always accompanied by a very sharp, metallic voice. In this way, all tense finals are easily distinguished from their lax counterparts using a set of cumulative cues such as length, timbre, direction of diphthong, and voice quality.
Only three finals ending in a final consonant are not part of a tense/lax pair: /-im, -ip, -iw/. Although optionally realized as a closing diphthong, their vowel is long and its aperture at onset can stand anywhere between that of a mid-high i and a fairly low e, the vowel sounds in English bid and bed. Admittedly, these finals could be interpreted as /-em, -ep, -ew/ with equal plausibility.
The restrictions to the combination of vowels and consonants within finals may be stated as follows:
(1): rounded vowels /u, ö, u, o/ are not permitted to combine with labial consonants /-m, -p, -w/;
(2): front vowels /i, e, ü, ö/ are not permitted to combine with the palatal consonant /-y/.
All other combinations, except /-em, -ep, -ew/, are permitted and actually occur as finals.
4. Finals, comparisons with SC.
From a comparative standpoint, there exist important differences between SC and KHW finals:
KHW finals */-i, -ue, -oo/ of Old Cantonese were diphthongized to SC /-ei, -ui, -o/ when preceded by certain types of initials, while /-i, -ue, -oo/ were retained after other types of initials. This split did not occur in KHW.
SC: -ei;
SC: -i:
KHW: -i:
Thus we find:
ti4 'earth'; l 'flag' but also tyi3 'paper'
sil 'four'; #k'i2 sil 'poem' and #