Wiktionary:About Chinese/Cantonese/Taishanese

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Wiktionary uses the following system to transcribe the Taicheng dialect of Taishanese.

The IPA column and Wiktionary romanization was based on the Taicheng dialect data at Hanyu Gujinyin Ziliaoku.

Other romanizations described here are:

The method used by Stephen Li at his Taishanese Language Home;
The method used by Gene Chin in the Hoisanva English Dictionary;
The method used in a publication by the Defense Language Institute;
The method used by Deng Jun (邓钧) in the Taishan Fangyan Zidian (台山方音字典, 2016).

Initials

IPA	Transcription	Stephen Li	Gene Chin	DLI	Deng Jun	Example
/p/	b	b	b	p	b	鼻
/pʰ/	p	p	p	p’	p	皮
/ᵐb/	m	m	m	m	m	乜
/f/	f	f	f	f	f	風 / 风
/v/	v	v	v	w	v	話 / 话
/t/	d	d	d	t	d	樽
/tʰ/	t	t	t	t’	t	窗
/ⁿd/	n	n	n	n	n	你
/l/	l	l	l	l	l	老
/ɬ/	lh	ɬ	x	lh	lh	三
/k/	g	g	g	k	g	見 / 见
/kʰ/	k	k	k	k’	k	佢
/ᵑɡ/	ng	ŋ	ng	ng	ng	人
/t͡s/	z	dz	j	ch	z j(i)	州
/t͡sʰ/	c	ts	ch	ch’	c q(i)	床
/j/	y	y	y	y	y	嘢
/s/	s	s	s	s	s x(i)	山
/h/	h	h	h	h	h	台

IPA	Transcription	Stephen Li	Gene Chin	DLI	Deng Jun	Example	Notes
/a/	a	a	a	a	a	阿
/ai/	ai	ai	ai	aai	ai	大
/au/	au	ɔu	ao	aau	ao	老
/am/	am	am	am	aam	am	三
/an/	an	an	an	aan	an	丹
/aŋ/	ang	aŋ	ang	aang	ang	登
/ap̚/	ap	ap	ap	aap	ab	搭
/at̚/	at	at	at	aat	ad	押
/ak̚/	ak	ak	ak	aak	ag	得
/i/	i	i	i	i	i	煮
/iu/	iu	iu	iu	iu	iu	優 / 优
/im/	im	im	im	im	im	音
/in/	in	in	in	in	in	因
/ip̚/	ip	ip	ip	ip	ib	邑
/it̚/	it	it	it	it	id	一
/iɛ/	ie	ia	eh	e	ie	嗲
/iau/	iau	iau	el	iau	ieu	釣 / 钓
/iam/	iam	iam	em	iem	iem	店
/iaŋ/	iang	iaŋ	eng	iang	ieng	釘 / 钉
/iap̚/	iap	iap	ep	iep	ieb	碟
/iak̚/	iak	iak	ek	iak	ieg	糴 / 籴
/u/	u	u	u	oo	u	都
/ui/	ui	ui	ui	ooi	ui	對 / 对
/un/	un	un	un	oon	un	敦
/ut̚/	ut	ut	ut	oot	ud	突
/ə/	e				e	誒 / 诶
/ei/	ei	i	i	i	ei	耳	^[1]
/eu/	eu	ǝu	eo	aau	eu	斗
/em/	em	ǝm	eim	?	em	含
/en/	en	ein	en, ein	ien	en	丁
/ep̚/	ep	ǝp	eip	?	eb	𢱕
/et̚/	et	ɛt	et, eik	?	ed	跌
/ɵŋ/	uung	ǝŋ	ung	ung	ung	龍 / 龙
/ɵt̚/	uut	ut	ut	oot	ud	律
/ɵk̚/	uuk	ǝk	uk	uk	ug	六
/ᵘɔ/	o	ɔ	o	o	uo	多
/ᵘɔi/	oi	ɔi	oi	oi	oi	愛 / 爱
/ᵘɔn/	on	ɔn	on	on	on	安
/ɔŋ/	ong	ɔŋ	ong	ong	ong	當 / 当
/ᵘɔt̚/	ot	ɔt	ot	ot	od	乜
/ɔk̚/	ok	ɔk	ok	ok	og	惡 / 恶
/m̩/	m	m	m	m	ng (m) except m* 唔	五

Tone	Transcription	Tone numerals / Stephen Li	Gene Chin	DLI	Deng Jun	Example	Category
Mid level	1	33	ä	à	a'	偷	陰平/陰去/下陰入
High level	2	55	ā	a	a-	口	陰上/上陰入
Low level	3	22	ã	ā	a*	頭 / 头	陽平
Low falling	4	21	â	ạ̄	a>	厚	陽上/下陽入
Mid falling	5	32	à	â	a`	後 / 后	陽去/上陽入

Tone	Transcription	Tone numerals / Stephen Li	Gene Chin	DLI	Deng Jun	Example
Mid level > Mid rising	1*	335	ä/	à*	a'-	頭先 / 头先
Low level > Low rising	3*	225	ã/	ā*	a*-	近來 / 近来
Low falling > Low dipping	4*	215	â/	ạ̄*	a>-	去街
Mid falling > Mid dipping	5*	325	à/	â*	a`-	台山話

There are two types of tone changes in Taishanese:

The rising tone change (-˥) is indicated using an asterisk * after the original tone, e.g. 糖 (hong^3*, “candy”).
The dipping tone change (to the fourth tone ˨˩) is indicated using -4 after the original tone, e.g. 肉 (nguuk^5-4, “meat”)

These two can be combined, e.g. 刷 (cat^1-4*, “a brush”).

^ Does not occur with /ts/, /tsʰ/, /s/ or /j/. Some speakers may pronounce this as /i/. See this page for details.