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A Beginner's Guide to Taiwanese: Difference between revisions
A Beginner's Guide to Taiwanese (view source)
Revision as of 23:22, 26 August 2019
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Taiwanese is a tonal language which means that pitch is used to convey meaning. Many words are differentiated solely by tone. Learning to speak and hear the [[tones of Taiwanese]] correctly is often difficult for an English speaker. With practice you will be able to hear and speak them. Again most speakers of Taiwanese are not aware of the different tones but they can all understand you when you pronounce them correctly. | Taiwanese is a tonal language which means that pitch is used to convey meaning. Many words are differentiated solely by tone. Learning to speak and hear the [[tones of Taiwanese]] correctly is often difficult for an English speaker. With practice you will be able to hear and speak them. Again most speakers of Taiwanese are not aware of the different tones but they can all understand you when you pronounce them correctly. | ||
Taiwanese has seven tones: five long tones and two short tones. | Taiwanese has seven tones: five long tones and two short tones. | ||
[[File: | [[File:af,_a,_ax,_ar,_aa,_ah,_aq.mp3|thumb|none|af, a, ax, ar, aa, ah, aq]] | ||
The letters ''f'', '' | The letters ''f'', ''x'' and ''r'' are silent tone indicators for long tones. Short tones always end with a stop (the ending letter tells both consonant and tone). | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
! # !! Tones !! Description !! MTL !! Example | ! # !! Tones !! Description !! MTL !! Example | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 1 || high || level (55 or 44) || [[f]] (silent) || {{x|khaf}} (''leg''; ''foot'') | | 1 || high || level (55 or 44) || [[f]] (silent) || {{x|khaf}} (''leg''; ''foot'') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 7 || basic || mid-level (33) || default || {{x|toa}} | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 3 || low falling || somewhat downward (31) || [[x]] (silent)|| {{x|pax}} (''leopard'') | | 3 || low falling || somewhat downward (31) || [[x]] (silent)|| {{x|pax}} (''leopard'') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 2 || shouting || sharply downward (51) || [[r]] (silent)|| {{x|ar}} (仔) | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 5 || curving || mid, downward, then upward (24) || doubling of vowel || {{x|gaau}} (''extraordinary'') | | 5 || curving || mid, downward, then upward (24) || doubling of vowel || {{x|gaau}} (''extraordinary'') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 8 || short high || (5ʔ) || ends with ''h'', ''p'', ''t'' or ''k'' || {{x|ah}} (''a box'') | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 4 || short low || (3ʔ) || ends with ''q'', ''b'', ''d'' or ''g'' || {{x|aq}} (''a duck'') | ||
|} | |} | ||
[[File:af, ar, ax, aq, aa, a, ah.mp3|thumb|none|Tones in their classic order: 1. ''{{x|af}}'', 2. ''{{x|ar}}'', 3. ''ax'', 4. ''{{x|aq}}'', 5. ''aa'', 7. ''a'', 8. ''{{x|ah}}'']] | |||
[[File: | |||
==== Long tones ==== | ==== Long tones ==== | ||
Here are some common examples of the [[long tone]]s: | Here are some common examples of the [[long tone]]s: | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable sortable" | ||
! Tone !! Example !! Meaning | ! Tone !! Example !! Meaning | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 1. high || {{x|hiaf}} || there | | 1. high || {{x|hiaf}} || there | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | | 7. basic || {{x|si}} || is | ||
|- | |- | ||
| 3. low-falling || {{x|zhaix}} || vegetable | | 3. low-falling || {{x|zhaix}} || vegetable | ||
|- | |||
| 2. shouting || {{x|zar}} || early | |||
|- | |- | ||
| 5. curving || {{x|hii}} || fish | | 5. curving || {{x|hii}} || fish | ||
|} | |} | ||