The Dialects of Hong Kong Boat People
55
/i/ is a high front [i] when occurring as the only vowel in a syllable with a consonant initial or when final after /u/: /sil/ 'book', /ui5/ 'outside';
b. lower-high front [I] when preceding any consonant: /tik4/ 'a drop';
c. preceded by a phonetic semiconsonant onglide [y] when in initial position: /it2/ 'leaf', /i6/ 'two';
d. high front semivowel [i] elsewhere: /chiek5/ 'foot measure', /hei4/ 'to go'.
/e/ is a. mid front [e] when occurring before /i/: /phei2/ 'skin'; b. low-mid front [E] when occurring finally in the syllable: /ce5/ 'word';
c. mid central [ê] elsewhere: /sen1/ 'heart', /pet4/ 'pen, brush'.
/a/ is low central [a] in all positions: /ha5/ 'summer'.
/o/ is a. mid back [o] when occurring before /u/: /tou1/ 'knife'; b. low back [ô] elsewhere: /thong1/ 'soup', /co3/ 'left side',
/u/ is a. high back [u] when occurring finally after a consonant or /i/: /fu2/ 'lake', /miu5/ 'temple';
b. low-mid front rounded [ö] after palatals if followed by /i/: /chui4/ 'vegetables';
c. lower-high back [U] before consonants: /hung2/ 'red';
d. preceded by a semiconsonant onglide [w] when initial: /ua5/ 'speech';
e. a semivowel [u] elsewhere: /lou5/ 'road'.
In general, the KS vowel system is simpler than that usually developed for SC. Chao (1947) postulates a five vowel system for SC and adds a phoneme of length; Wong (1963) needs six vowels plus length to do the same job and Yuan (1960), probably copying previous authors, seems to disregard phonemic criteria altogether to end up with an unnecessarily complex system of seven vowels plus length."
The possible combinations of vowel and consonant in KS syllable finals are as follows:
THE DIALECTS OF HONG KONG BOAT PEOPLE
55
// is a high front [i] when occurring as the only vowel in a syllable with a consonant initial or when final after /u/: /sil/ 'book', /ui5/ 'outside';
b. lower-high front [I] when preceeding any consonant:
/tik4/ 'a drop';
c. preceeded by a phonetic semiconsonant onglide [y]
when in initial position: /it2/ 'leaf", /16/ 'two';
d. high front semivowel [i] elsewhere: /chiek5/ 'foot
measure', /hei4/ 'to go'.
fe is a. mid front [e] when occurring before /i/: /phei2/ ‘skin'; b. low-mid front [E] when occurring finally in the syllable:
/ce5/ *word";
/a/ is
c. mid central [ê] elsewhere: /sen1/ heart', /pet4/ 'pen,
brush'.
low central [a] in all positions: /ha5/ 'summer”.
/o/ is a. mid back [o] when occurring before /u/: /tou1/ 'knife"; b. low back [ô] elsewhere: /thong1/ 'soup', /co3/ 'left
side',
Ju/ is a high back [u] when occurring finally after a consonant
or /i/: /fu2/ 'lake', /miu5/ 'temple":
b. low-mid front rounded [ö] after palatals if followed by
/i/: /chui4/ 'vegetables';
c. lower-high back [U] before consonants: /hung2/ 'red';
d. preceeded by a semiconsonant onglide [w] when initial:
/ua5/ *speech';
e. a semivowel [u] elsewhere: /lou5/ 'road'.
In general, the KS vowel system is simpler than that usually developed for SC. Chao (1947) postulates a five vowel system for SC and adds a phoneme of length; Wong (1963) needs six vowels plus length to do the same job and Yuan (1960), probably copying previous authors, seems to disregard phonemic criteria altogether to end up with an unnecessarily complex system of seven vowels plus length."
The possible combinations of vowel and consonant in KS syllable finals are as follows:
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