A Beginner's Guide to Taiwanese: Difference between revisions

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A Beginner's Guide to Taiwanese (view source)

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→‎Apostrophe ('): use +, =, o'kix, list
(→‎Apostrophe ('): use +, =, o'kix, list)
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=== Apostrophe (') ===
=== Apostrophe (') ===


When two syllables are put together, an [[apostrophe]] may be used to indicate a syllable boundary if there's any ambiguity. The rule in MTL is that letters
When two syllables are put together, sometimes one letter might appear to be connected to the right syllable when it shouldn't be. The [[apostrophe]] is used to remove the ambiguity. For example:
are grouped into a syllable starting from the right. Here's one case where a consonant could be part of the first or second syllable.


''{{x|Okix}}'', meaning "black mole", comes from ''{{x|of}}'' (烏; "black") plus ''{{x|kix}}'' (痣; "mole"). We simply change the tone of the first syllable (''of'' -> ''o'') and follow it by the second syllable, to get ''okix''. Reading this word, we know the longest syllable starting from the right is ''kix''.
* {{x|of}} (烏; "black") + {{x|kix}} (痣; "mole") = o'kix = {{x|okix}}
* {{x|og}} (惡; "evil") + {{x|ix}} (意; "intention") = {{x|ok'ix}}


But, there are two other syllables we could combine to get the same result. If we combine ''{{x|og}}'' (惡; "evil") and ''{{x|ix}}'' (意; "intention") without using an apostrophe, we would also get ''okix''. Clearly, we don't want this. It looks like the ''k'' belongs with the second vowel ''i'' instead of ''o''.
In MTL, we group the letters starting from the right into the longest syllable. So reading ''okix'', the second syllable is ''kix''. Then the first syllable is ''o''. There's no need to write ''o'kix''.


That's where the apostrophe comes in to save the day. By writing ''{{x|ok'ix}}'' ''with'' an apostrophe, we keep "evil intention", or "malice", distinct from the harmless ''okix''.
If you drop the apostrophe from ''ok'ix'', it would be ''okix'', so the apostrophe needs to stay.


=== Hyphen (-) ===
=== Hyphen (-) ===
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