Topics in Chinese Linguistics: Topics in Chinese Linguistics: Introduction to ChineseIntroduction to Chinese

Unit 3: Pronunciation – Phonetics and Phonology

What is What is Phonetics and Phonetics and Phonology?Phonology?

Phonetics: Study of sounds of human languages. Sounds of human languages have physiological and physical characteristics.

Phonology: Study of sound system of a specific language. Chinese phonology, English phonology – a phonological system of a specific language. It is social.

Physical characteristicsPhysical characteristics

Sound wave  Frequency or pitch  Intensity or volume

Length or time

Can be measured by instruments and can be “seen” (spectrograph, computer)

Tones of Mandarin ChineseTones of Mandarin Chinese

Vocal OrgansVocal Organs

How human sounds are How human sounds are classifiedclassified

Place of articulation

Lip Tongue Teeth, alveolar Palate velum Uvula Nasal cavity

•Manner of articulation

•Stop•Fricative•Affricate•Nasal•Aspiration •Voiced/voiceless

Chinese Consonants in PinyinChinese Consonants in Pinyin

Chinese Vowels in PinyinChinese Vowels in Pinyin

Chinese tonesChinese tones

Names of tones陰平 / 陽平 / 上聲 / 去聲Yin Ping, Yang Ping, Shang Sheng, Qu

Shenghigh level, high rising, falling-rising, high

falling

NotationsNotations

Musical notes

Tone markers: ā á ǎ à

Numerical notation: 55, 35, 214, 51

Segmental vs supra-segmental Segmental vs supra-segmental

Segmental: consonants, vowels, diphthongs

a, o, i, b, d, g, p, t, k, ao, ai, ei…

Supra-segmental: stress, tone, intonation

IPAIPA

English Chinese

book shū

[buk] [u]

teacher lǎoshī

[ti:t ] [lau ]

Phones and phonemesPhones and phonemes

Phoneme– Smallest phonological unit which makes

distinctions in meaning in a specific languagePhone

– Each individual sound Allophone

– Sounds which are distinct but similar and do not make distinctions in meaning

Comparison of English and Comparison of English and Chinese consonantsChinese consonants

peak speak beak

[p’] [p] [b]

/p/ /p/ /b/

pa 怕 ba 爸 ?

[p’] [p]

/p’/ /p/

[p’] [p] [b]

Letters vs phonemic notationsLetters vs phonemic notations

English letters IPA

teacher, good /ti:t/, /gud/

Pinyin IPA

lǎoshī, hǎo /lau/, /hau/

Phonological fPhonological features eatures of Chinese of Chinese

Chinese language is syllabic. Chinese is tonal. A syllable has maximum of four sounds. A syllable has no more than two consonants

or there are no consonant clusters such as sp, sl, cl, scr.

Number of syllables is limited.

Syllable structureSyllable structure

Tone

Initial Final

Medial Main vowel

Syllabic ending

声调，声母，韵母，韵头，韵腹，韵尾

tiān

Tone Sandhi (Tone change)Tone Sandhi (Tone change)

nǐhǎo=>níhǎo3+3=>2+3

1=>2 _/4 yī: kuài=> yí kuài1=>4 elsewhere yī zhāng=>yì zhān

yī tiáo=>yì tiáo

yī jiǎo=>yì jiǎo

Chinese PhonologyChinese Phonology

How were Chinese characters represented in ancient times

BoPoMoFoPinyin and other notation systemsHistorical phonological change

读若 读若 ‘‘ read as’ method read as’ method (pronounced as, using (pronounced as, using

homophone characters) homophone characters)

‘ 珝’ , 讀若‘許’ ‘ 倚’，讀若‘以’ ‘ 誕’ , 音‘但’

Problems:1. Impossible to find a character of the same

pronunciation. Then the character of similar pronunciation is used which is not accurate.

2. The homophone characters are rare characters. Their pronunciation is not popular and known to all.

FǎqiFǎqiē ē method method 反切 反切

Select two characters. Combine the initial of the first character with the final (with tone) of the second character.

Example:

“土” (tǔ) 他魯切 formula: tǔ= t(ā)+(l)ǔ

“冬” (dōng) 都宗切 formula: dōng=d(ū)+(z)ōng

Zhuyin fuhao Zhuyin fuhao 注音符号 注音符号 (1913, (1913, ROC)ROC)

土 t + ǔ ㄊ (t) ㄨ (u)

天 t + i+ ān ㄊ (t) ㄧ (i) ㄣ (ān)

窗 chuāng ch + u + āng ㄔㄨㄤ

Hanyu Pinyin (1956, PRC)Hanyu Pinyin (1956, PRC)

土 tǔ天 tiān窗 chuāng

Other systemsOther systems

Wade-Gile 威妥瑪 (1912)GR Gwoyeu Romatzyh 國語羅馬字

(1928)Latinxua Sinwenz 拉丁化新文字 (1930)Yale 耶魯 (1948)

Various notations of Various notations of 謝謝Zhuyin ㄒ一ㄝ

Pinyin xie

Wade-Gile hsieh

GR shieh

Yale sye

Tongyong sie

Historical changeHistorical change

江雪 柳宗元 Modern Mandarin Classical千山鳥飛絕， Qiān shān niǎo fēi jué zik萬徑人蹤滅。 Wàn jìng rén zōng miè mik孤舟簑笠翁， Gū zhōu suò lì wēng ong獨釣寒江雪。 Dú diào hán jiāng xuě sik

Review questionsReview questions 1. Is the distinction of consonants and vowels as same that of initials

and finals? 2. How to classify the sounds? What are initials, finals, medials, main

vowel and syllabic ending in Chinese phonology? 2. Are b, d, g in Pinyin voiced sounds? 3. What makes tones different? The change of pitch? Itensity or

Duration? 4. In what way the four tones are represented? 5. How many sounds at most does a syllable have in Putonghua? 6. What is tone sandhi? Can you give some examples? 7. What is the major difference between Pinyin and BoPoMoFo? 8. Which is better? Pinyin or BoPoMoFo? 9. In the old times, how did people to represent the sounds of

characters? 10. Why some old poems do not rhyme when it is read in modern

Chinese?