Wiktionary:About Chinese/Puxian Min

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Puxian Min, also known as Puxian (莆仙語莆仙语, 莆仙話莆仙话), Hinghua (興化話兴化话), is a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Putian City.

Historically, Puxian Min was written using Báⁿ-uā-ci̍ (平話字平话字) system (Hinghwa Romanized), which recorded the accent of urban Putian in the late 19th century. This system differs significantly from the phonology of various modern Puxian accents. Consequently, online communities, led by the Puxian Dialect Society (莆仙鄉音社莆仙乡音社), developed Pouseng Ping'ing (莆仙話拼音莆仙话拼音) to document modern phonologies. Wiktionary uses Pouseng Ping'ing as the main romanization system, while Báⁿ-uā-ci̍ being an alternative form of Putian dialect if it is input manually.

This article aims to explain the usage of these romanization systems. It assumes a basic understanding of Puxian phonology.

Unless otherwise specified, all pronunciations are given in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

Pouseng Ping'ing

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Initial

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Initial IPA Example character
Unchanged Lenited Nasal Nasalized
Putian Xianyou Xianyou
b /p/ (null) /β/ /m/ /m/
p /pʰ/ (null) /β/ /m/ /m/
m /m/ /m/ /m/ /m/
d /t/ /l/ /n/ /n/
t /tʰ/ /l/ /n/ /n/
n /n/ /n/ /n/ /n/
l /l/ /l/ /n/ /n/
g /k/ (null) /ŋ/ (null)
k /kʰ/ (null) /ŋ/ (null)
h /h/ (null) /ŋ/ (null)
ng /ŋ/ /ŋ/ /ŋ/ /ŋ/
z /t͡s/ /l/ /n/ /n/
c /t͡sʰ/ /l/ /n/ /n/
s /ɬ/ /l/ /n/ /n/
Ø (null) (null) (null) /ŋ/ (null)

Initials undergo changes when the syllable is a non-initial syllable of a (fossilised) compound:

  • Lenited pronunciations are used when the previous syllable has a null coda.
  • Nasal pronunciations are used when the previous syllable has a /-ŋ/ ‹-ng› coda.
  • Nasalized pronunciations are used when the previous syllable has a nazalized final ‹-ⁿ›.
  • The pronunciations are remain unchanged when the previous syllable has a /-ʔ/ ‹-h› coda.

Final

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Final IPA Example character
Putian Xianyou
a /a/
ae /ɛ/ /
e /e/
i /i/ 退
o /o/ /ɵ/
oe /ø/
or /ɒ/
u /u/
y /y/
ai /ai/
ao /au/
ia /ia/
ieo /ieu/
iu /iu/
ou /ɔu/
ua /ua/
ue /uei/
ui /ui/
yo /yɒ/ -
ya - /ya/
ang /aŋ/
orng /ɒŋ/
eng /ɛŋ/
oeng /œŋ/ -
ong /ɔŋ/ -
ing /iŋ/
ieng /iɛŋ/
ung /uŋ/ -
uang /uaŋ/ -
uong - /uoŋ/
yng /yŋ/
yeng - /yøŋ/
yong /yɒŋ/ -
ng /ŋ̍/
ah /aʔ/
orh /ɒʔ/
eh /ɛʔ/
oeh /œʔ/ -
oh /ɔʔ/ -
ih /iʔ/
iah /iaʔ/ -
ieh /iɛʔ/
uh /uʔ/ *
uah /uaʔ/ -
uoh /uoʔ/
yh /yʔ/
yeh - /yøʔ/
yoh /yɒʔ/ -
aⁿ - /ã/
iⁿ - /ĩ/
yⁿ - /ỹ/
orⁿ - /ɒ̃/
aiⁿ - /ãĩ/
auⁿ - /ãũ/
iaⁿ - /ĩã/
iuⁿ - /ĩũ/
uaⁿ - /ũã/
uiⁿ - /ũĩ/
yaⁿ - /ỹã/

Tone (7)

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Tone number Tone name Tone value Example characters
Putian Xianyou
1 Dark level 533
2 Light level 13
3 Rising 453 332
4 Dark departing 42
5 Light departing 21
6 Dark checked 1 2
7 Light checked 4 24

Puxian Min has two non-independent tone classes:

Tone number Tone name Tone value Example characters Notes
Putian Xianyou
S3 Pronouns checked 32 Similar in pitch to the rising tone but with a -h coda.
S5 Historical dark checked 21 Merged with light departing in Puxian Min, but behaves differently from other light departing syllables in tone sandhi.

Additionally, Puxian Min has three tones that only appear in tone sandhi.

Tone number Tone value
Putian Xianyou
S1 55
S4 42 -
S7 45 -

Tone Sandhi

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Tone sandhi rules in the Puxian Min are complex. Generally, only non-final syllables in a word undergo tone sandhi.

Regular two-syllable tone sandhi are automatically done by the module. The table below shows these sandhi rules. The rows represent the tone of the first syllable, while the columns represent the tone of the second syllable. Each cell in the table indicates the resulting tone of the first syllable after tone sandhi occurs. For cells divided by a slash, the left side represents the Putian dialect, while the right side represents the Xianyou dialect.

2nd
1st
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 5 5 5 5 2 2 5
2 5 5 5 S1 4 4 5
3 5 2/S1 5 5 2 2 5
S3 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
4 S1 2/S1 S1 S1 4 4 S1
5 5 5 5 S1 4 4 5
S5 S1 S1 S1 S1 4 4 S1
6 S7/7 S7/7 S7/7 S7/7 S4/7 S4/7 S7/7
7 6 6 6 7 S4/4 S4/4 6

The tone sandhi rules for three-syllable and four-syllable compounds are even more complex and are omitted here. When adding pronunciations for these words, one can manually specify the correct tone sandhi (see the section below).

Ways to handle special cases

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- is used to handle irregular tone sandhi. The format is: original_pronunciation + - + actual_tone_number. For example:

  • 龍脊骨: pt:loeng2-5 zih6-7 goh6/xy:lyeng2-5 zih6-7 guoh6
  • 木虱鬼: pt,xy:bah7-6 seh6 gui3

* preceding an initial can be used to block lenition or nasal assimilation. For example:

# succeeding a final can be used to block tone sandhi. For example:

> is used to handle irregular sound change except for tones. For example:

Báⁿ-uā-ci̍

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In the following table, C and L represent colloquial reading and literary reading respectively.

Initial (15)

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BUC has 15 initials.

  bilabial alveolar lateral velar glottal
plosives unaspirated b /*p/
C
d /*t/
g /*k/
/*Ǿ/ invalid IPA characters (Ǿ)
aspirated p /*pʰ/
t /*tʰ/
k /*kʰ/
nasals m /*m/
L
n /*n/
C
ng /*ŋ/
fricatives s /*ɬ/
h /*h/
affricates unaspirated c /*t͡s/
aspirated ch /*t͡sʰ/
approximants l /*l/
L

Final (63)

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BUC has 63 finals. Some finals with -h coda are divided into two categories: A and B. The contrast between these two categories only occurs in the light checked tone. See the below section for more information.

BUC Reconstructed
pronunciation
Example
character
No coda
i /*i/ CCC
u /*u/ LCC
/*y/ L
a /*a/ LLC
ia /*ia/
ua /*ua/ CCC
e /*ɛ/
/*e/ LCC
/*ø/
/*ɒ/ CCLC
io̤ /*yɒ/
eo /*o/ LC
ai /*ai/ LLL
uai /*uai/
oi /*oi/ LC
ui /*ui/ L
au /*au/ CLC
a̤u /*eu/ LC
o /*ou/ CC
iu /*iu/ LLL
Nasalized
aⁿ /*ã/ LCC
iaⁿ /*ĩã/ CC
uaⁿ /*ũã/ C滿C
a̤ⁿ /*ẽ/ CCC
e̤ⁿ /*ø/ CC
o̤ⁿ /*ɒ/ C
io̤ⁿ /*ỹɒ/
oiⁿ /*õĩ/ CCC
auⁿ /*ãũ/
a̤uⁿ /*ẽũ/ CC
-ng coda
ang /*aŋ/ LLL
iang /*iaŋ/ C
uang /*uaŋ/ 滿L
eng /*ɛŋ/ LLL
e̤ng /*œŋ/ LL
o̤ng /*ɒŋ/ LL
io̤ng /*iɒŋ/ LL
eong /*oŋ/ LL
ing /*iŋ/ LLL
ṳng /*yŋ/
ng /*ŋ/
-h coda
ah (A) /*aːʔ/ CC
(B) /*aʔ/ LLC
iah (A) /*iaːʔ/ C
(B) /*iaʔ/
uah (A) /*uaːʔ/
(B) /*uaʔ/ L
a̤h (A) /*eːʔ/
o̤h (A) /*ɒːʔ/
(B) /*ɒʔ/ L
ih (A) /*iːʔ/
(B) /*iʔ/
uh (B) /*uʔ/
ṳh (B) /*yʔ/
io̤h (A) /*yɒːʔ/
(B) /*yɒʔ/
eoh (A) /*oːʔ/ C
(B) /*oʔ/ L
aih (A) /*aiːʔ/
oih (A) /*oiːʔ/ CC
a̤uh (A) /*euːʔ/
eh (B) /*ɛʔ/ CLL
e̤h (B) /*œʔ/ L

Tone (8)

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BUC has 8 tones, with the light checked tone being divided into two categories A and B. While they have identical BUC forms, their descendants have evolved into different tones. Category A characters retain the light checked tone, whereas Category B characters have merged with the light level tone in the Putian and Xianyou dialects, and with the rising tone in the Jiangkou dialect.

Tone number Tone name Diacritics (on ‹a›) Example characters
1 Dark level a
2 Light level á
3 Rising â L
4 Dark departing
5 Light departing ā CC
6 Dark checked ah L
7 Light checked (A) a̍h LL
Light checked (B) a̍h CCC

References

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  • 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “About Chinese/Puxian Min”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN.
  • 陈浩淼 [Chen, Hao-miao] (2020) 莆仙方言语音比较研究 [The Study on the Comparison of Phonology of Puxian Dialect], Fujian Normal University
  • 黃金恳, 莆田市地方志编纂委员会, editor (2001), 莆田市志 [Chronicle of Putian City], Beijing: 方志出版社, →ISBN
  • 李如龍等 [Li, Ru-long and others] (2019) 莆仙方言調查報告 [Survey Report on Putian Dialect], Xiamen University Press