Skip to main content

Questions tagged [phonology]

Phonology is a branch of linguistics concerned with the systematic organization of sounds in languages. It has traditionally focused largely on study of the systems of phonemes in particular languages, but it may also cover any linguistic analysis either at a level beneath the word or at all levels of language where sound is considered to be structured for conveying linguistic meaning.

1 vote
2 answers
141 views

For loanwords like "Facebook", which type of pronunciation is more common?

If I understand correctly, there are two approaches to pronouncing borrowed, non-transliterated words: either err on the side of approximating the foreign pronunciation, or adjust the pronunciation so ...
Georgy Ivanov's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
79 views

Is there sometimes a sentence final tone neutralization on the phonetic level

I've been practicing tone perception but am having trouble processing tone on the final syllable in some cases. In the video https://youtu.be/2aveJrbSjAk?t=9, I can hear most of the tones no problem. ...
Senjougahara Hitagi's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
140 views

What is a good Chinese Grammar book?

What is a good, comprehensive , learner friendly Chinese Grammar book, with explanations in English or German and Chinese, which also does teach phonetics and the Pinyin spelling rules? With good and ...
Christoph Mark's user avatar
4 votes
2 answers
195 views

鉛 Reading Phonology

Why does this word for Lead 鉛 seem to have two different pronounciations? In most Chinese Languages / Languages that borrowed this word ( Japanese / Korean ) they all read similar to the Middle ...
Sierra Hotel's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
143 views

What is the historical development of IPA for Chinese spoken language?

** This question is NOT for CSL students. The best way to learn a language is to directly follow a native speaker. A Chinese language teacher with the same native language background as the CSL ...
PdotWang's user avatar
  • 4,385
1 vote
2 answers
117 views

Where does the "o" sound fit into Chinese phonology? Is it a mid vowel?

So I've been looking at San Duanmu's The Phonology of Standard Chinese, and in the vowel section, the pinyin /o/ from 中 is not mentioned. An allophone of the middle vowel is described as [o], which is ...
Senjougahara Hitagi's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
85 views

Why Pinyin's "声母" and "韵母" were translated as "initials" and "finals"?

Why Pinyin's "声母" and "韵母" were translated as "Initials" and "Finals", but not as "sound-mother" and "rime-mother"? What is the meaning of &...
PdotWang's user avatar
  • 4,385
2 votes
0 answers
38 views

Discrepancies between the rimes of a character and its lower character in Guangyun?

𥏙 and ��, for instance, are classified into 去聲十三祭韻 according to Guangyun, while their lower characters, 吠, are classified into 去聲二十廢韻. Is there any research that provides a list of (hopefully) all ...
hmje's user avatar
  • 149
1 vote
1 answer
165 views

Can 徐 develop a sound mo1?

徐 has initial 邪, which I don't immediate see the connection with [m]. 徐 has rhyme 鱼, which mostly developed into u(ü) and a. I cannot think of how the mo1 sound can be developed. 徐 is 形声字 (Phono-...
lilysirius's user avatar
  • 4,485
1 vote
2 answers
316 views

What’s the deal with the xing-type readings for 行?

How come did the readings of the xing-category appear for 行? They make no sense. The Early Middle Chinese for “to walk” is γæng, which should give héng – and so it does, in 胻, 蘅, 桁 – even with the ...
Alexander Z.'s user avatar
  • 1,031
0 votes
1 answer
99 views

How can learner distinguish 察館 vs. 茶館 in Mandarin phonetically?

I like to practice my Mandarin with staff at a 茶館 (tea house). After my months of trying, and after their months guffawing at me, they advise me that my pronunciation of 茶館 STILL sounds like 察館 (...
User's user avatar
  • 103
1 vote
1 answer
130 views

erhua in loanwords — 模特兒 mótèr?

OK, so I was browsing Wiktionary — as one does — and found out about the word 模特兒 'model', which is apparently pronounced mótèr, with just 2 syllables. there's also an alternative pronunciation, mótè'...
matias's user avatar
  • 11
4 votes
4 answers
286 views

How to create a Chinese sentence using multiple different meanings of the same sounding word?

I just realized that Chinese can have several unrelated meanings under the same sound (though often they are given different Chinese characters/symbols). For example, gān can be: 干 (to interfere, dry,...
Lance's user avatar
  • 1,258
2 votes
1 answer
283 views

jiu3 pronounced as jiu4 ; linked speech feature or slip of the tongue?

Here is the intonation that is recorded in an instructional video for the clause 我已经很久都不过中秋节了 (wǒ yǐjīng hěn jiǔ dōu bú guò zhōngqiūjié le). 久 is very prominently pronounced with a descending ...
Papa Smurf's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
189 views

A Cantonese-influenced Old National Pronunciation (老國音) system

I need advice/help on creating a system similar to the Old National Pronunciation system/language for a worldbuilding project called Roses, Tulips, and Liberty. Some background: Imagines, it's a world ...
Omar 's user avatar
  • 41

15 30 50 per page
1
2 3 4 5