45,221
edits
A Beginner's Guide to Taiwanese: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
m
A Beginner's Guide to Taiwanese (view source)
Revision as of 20:23, 29 December 2020
, 20:23, 29 December 2020→Tone sandhi
(→Vowel plus nasal final consonant: pointers) |
m (→Tone sandhi) |
||
| Line 262: | Line 262: | ||
[[File:Tone Circles.png|right|frame|The seven tones, and how they change due to tone sandhi.]] | [[File:Tone Circles.png|right|frame|The seven tones, and how they change due to tone sandhi.]] | ||
The basic unit of speech is the syllable, which can change tone depending on its environment. This process | The basic unit of speech is the syllable, which can change tone depending on its environment. This process is generally called [[tone sandhi]] ("sandhi" is from the Sanskrit word for "joining") and in Taiwanese the rules for it are extensive. | ||
Generally, a syllable inside of a word changes tone according to the Tone Circles. For example, the single-syllable word for "duck" (bird): ''{{x|aq}}''. Its original tone is low-short. After adding the suffix ''{{x|ar}}'', the tone becomes high-short: ''{{x|ah'ar}}''. | Generally, a syllable inside of a word changes tone according to the Tone Circles. For example, the single-syllable word for "duck" (bird): ''{{x|aq}}''. Its original tone is low-short. After adding the suffix ''{{x|ar}}'', the tone becomes high-short: ''{{x|ah'ar}}''. | ||