"The aspirated consonants are a very remarkable feature in all the languages of China, and require very special attention. They are kh, th, ph and chh. The sounds are the same as those indicated by the same notation in the languages of India, being formed by a real distinct aspiration pronounced after the respective consonants......The sounds are almost the same as those often used by Irishmen when pronouncing with a strong brogue such words as come, pig, &c; they are also often heard in the mouths of the Scottish Highlanders.
"kh may be thus described:— Pronounce....look here! rapidly and clearly, cut off loo- and -re, and you have the Chinese 'khi'."[1] The other aspirated consonants might be illustrated in a similar manner.
[ch is not an aspirated consonant — see above.]
TONES.
Any attempt to write the colloquial language of Swatow without indicating the tones carries its condemnation on the face of it. It is utterly impossible to speak intelligibly while disregarding this essential feature.
There are four great classes of tones—1st, Phêⁿ (or, Pêⁿ); 2d, Siãng; 3d, Khṳ̀; 4th, Ji̍p. In the Swatow Colloquial eight separate tones are distinguished from one another:—
| 1. | chiēⁿ-phêⁿ | as | saⁿ, a coat. |
| 2. | ẽ-phêⁿ | „ | nâng, a man. |
| 3. | siãng-siaⁿ | „ | hái, the sea. |
| 4. | chiēⁿ-khṳ̀ | „ | sì, the world. |
| 5. | ẽ-khṳ̀ | „ | lĩ, profit. |
| 6. | khṳ̀-siaⁿ | „ | bō, a cap. |
| 7. | chiēⁿ-ji̍p | „ | pat, to know. |
| 8. | ẽ-ji̍p | „ | pa̍t, another. |
In combinations of two or more syllables, very important modifications occur in the tones. A learner is apt to think tliat, the tone of a word having been once fixed, he will
find it the same in all circumstances, and to be surprised
- ↑ From Dr. Carstairs Douglas's admirable Dictionary of the Amoy Vernacular, an invaluable work to the student of the closely allied vernacular of Swatow.
