Mandarin vs Cantonese vs Taiwanese Hokkien Tones
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The tones are indicated by their relative pitch 5 highest 1 lowest
For example ˥ 55 starts highest and stays level and ˨˩ 21 starts low and drops lower.
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Early Middle Chinese tone classnumber of
tone classes (number of phonemic tones)
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平 Level ① ②上 Rising ③ ④去 Departing ⑤ ⑥入 Entering ⑦ ⑧
(Words ending in stop consonants p, t, k)
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Syllable onset
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voiceless
陰平
voiced
陽平
voiceless
陰上
voiced 陽上voiceless
陰去
voiced
陽去
voiceless 陰入voiced 陽入
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sonorantobstruent(short vowel nucleus)(long vowel nucleus)sonorantobstruent
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major groupsubgrouplocal varietyliterary 文讀vernacular 白讀
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MandarinBeijingBeijing① ˥ 55② ˧˥ 35③ ˨˩˦ 214⑤ ˥˩ 51(any)⑤ ˥˩ 51② ˧˥ 354 (4)
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Tone NumberTone 1 陰平Tone 2 陽平Tone 3 上Tone 4 去RedistributedTone 4 去Tone 2 陽平
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English NameHigh LevelRising Low DippingHigh FallingHigh FallingRising
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Example
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YueYuehai
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Guangzhou①a ˥ 55 ~ ①b ˥˧ 53② ˨˩ 21~11③ ˧˥ 35④ ˩˧ 13⑤ ˧ 33⑥ ˨ 22⑦a̚ ˥ 5⑦b̚ ˧ 3⑧̚ ˨ 29~10 (6~7)
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Hong Kong① ˥ 55② ˨˩ 21~11③ ˨˥ 25④ ˨˧ 23⑤ ˧ 33⑥ ˨ 22⑦a̚ ˥ 5⑦b̚ ˧ 3⑧̚ ˨ 29 (6)
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Tone NumberTone 1 陰平Tone 4 陽平Tone 2 陰上Tone 5 陽上Tone 3 陰去Tone 6 陽去Tone 1/7 高陰入Tone 3/8 低陰入Tone 6/9 陽入
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English NameHigh Level ~ High FallingMid FallingMid RisingLow RisingMid LevelLow LevelHigh Checked (Tone 1)Mid Checked (Tone 3)Low Checked (Tone 6)
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Example
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MinSouthern Min
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Taipei① ˥ 55② ˩˦ 14③ ˥˩ 51⑥ ˧ 33⑤ ˧˩ 31⑥ ˧ 33⑦ ˧ 3⑧ ˦ 47 (5)
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Tainan① ˦ 44② ˨˦ 24③ ˥˧ 53⑥ ˨ 22⑤ ˨˩ 21⑥ ˨ 22⑦ ˨ 2⑧ ˥ 57 (5)
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Tone NumberTone 1 陰平Tone 5 陽平Tone 2 上Tone 7 陽去Tone 3 陰去Tone 7 陽去Tone 4 陰入Tone 8 陽入
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Tone Markaâáāàāaha̍h
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Example
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Lukang① ˦ 33② ˨˦ 24③ ˥ 55④ ˨ 22⑤ ˧˩ 31⑥ ˧˩ 31⑦ ˥ 5⑧ ˧˥ 358 (6)
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Tone NumberTone 1 陰平Tone 5 陽平Tone 2 陰上(Tone 6 陽上)Tone 3 陰去Tone 7 陽去Tone 4 陰入Tone 8 陽入
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Tone Markaâá(ǎ)àāaha̍h
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differentiated under sandhi
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