Sections:
1. Tones and Tonal Bondage | 2. Linking Tones
| 3. Enclitic Tones | 4. Words of Rolling-off
Format | 5. Rhetorical Tonal Bondage |
6. Personal Pronouns and Demonstratives | 7. Contraction
| 8. Interminative Verbs | 9. Overloading a
Transcription | 10. Vowel Elongation |
11. Checked Tones | 12. List of Rhyming Entities | 13. Phonetic Treatment of Loan Words | 14. Insertion of
Non-transcriptive Elements | 15. Practical Symbols | 16. The Alphabet
Go to: | Head | Part One: Syllabic Tones | Part Two:Vowels | Part Three: Consonants | Appendix | Homepage
Section 1. Tones and Tonal Bondage
Hoyloy words are formed with segmental sounds joined by syllabic tones. Tones are indispensible for identification of most monosyllabic words, such as [qe-] for 'low', [qe+] for 'cangue/portable pillory', [qe"] for 'to pretend', [qe=] for 'to add' and [qe'] for 'to marry (a woman to a man)', as well as many polysyllabic words such as 1. [yu-syu'] for 'remarkable' vs. [yu"syu'] for 'delicate', 2. [paQ"sNg"] for 'unworthy loss' vs. [paQ"sNg'] for 'to estimate for something to do or to happen' and 3. [su"si-] for 'comfortable' vs. [su=siQ-] for the loan word from Japanese for a certain type of rice food.
In Hoyloy, tones are furthermore manipulated for what is called tonal bondage. In the first place, it reflects the status where morphemes are combined into word or words into larger units of meaning such as compounds, phrases or clauses. Secondly, it shows a form being rid of the lexical meaning and turning into a quasi-word, that is, a morpheme with grammatical function only. Such jobs are done by adoption of either linking tones or rolling-off with entclitic tones.
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When a word is taking up another word to form a phrase* other than rolling-off with enclitic tones, it changes the basic tone of its last syllable into a correspondent linking tone. The word resumes the basic tone of its last syllable when separated from the phrase. A linking tone adopted in this way is a reversible one. In a transcription a slash (/) placed next to the symbol of the tone pattern indicates the current syllable bears a reversible linking tone, such as illustrated with the two words,
[kwa~']'to see' and [u-] 'to have', in the following sentences: a. [li" kwa~"/hit=tzyaQ"/nyau-a"] 'You look at that cat.' b. [u_/kwa~'|dtyoQ'bo'] 'Did you see that?' c. [u-//kwa~'|dtyoQ'lO'] 'Have (for yes), (I) did see (that cat).'
*Be careful in practice not to take an indivisible compound for a phrase. For example,
compare the next two sentences.
d. [tzit=e_(-)/gin+(=)na" qin-na+(=)Rit+ bo_(-)lai_(-)/haK_hau-]
'This child didn't come to school today.'
e. [lan" lai_(-)ki"/haK_hau-]
'Let's go to school.'
where [lai_(-)/haK_hau-] in sentence d. is a phrase and [lai-(_)ki'] is
used in sentence e. as an indivisible compound.
There are, however, instances where it is not feasible to revert a linking tone to its correspondent basic tone. This is what happens to the morphemes which have only grammatical meanings and are always connected to other morphemes or words. In a transcription a backslash (\) placed behind the tone pattern symbol indicates the current syllable bears an irreversible linking tone. Examples:
f. [qya~_/kaQ"\qin"|de' dti,p=b(w)eQ"\(*)b(/w)e_/hu'|lO']
'Walk faster. We have barely enough time.'
*A compact form for [dti_de=b(w)eQ\']. See 'contraction' in next
section.
g. [a-bu" i-e_/we- qONg=(+)/ya+b(/w)e/swaQ- bo_dtyu~-dti+#
baK_sai" swaQ"\tzo(/e)"/tzit_e- bpya~'|tsut'lai']
'Before finishing her words, Mom unguardedly bursted into tears.'
For such morphemes, also named as quasi-words (or clitics if the pronunciation feature is concerned), artificial basic tones presumed to be correspondent to the linking tones may be assigned, with a backslash placed before each symbol of tone pattern, when they stand alone for citation or separate entries for listing. For example, [hO\-] an agent marker for a passive construction similar to 'by' in English, with the backlash before the symbol of basic tone pattern, is differentiated from [hO-] for 'rain' as a noun and [hO.-]* for 'to give'.
*Refer to Practical Symbols for description of 'dot joint'.
Having explained the difference in function between a slash and a backslash, I'd like to point out that a slash or backslash should be used only when it is necessary to mark off related units of meaning in a transcription. While a word or word-equivalent made up with two or more morphemes may be broken down using slashes and/or backlashes for purpose of analysis, it is regularly transcribed as an individual unit of meaning.
A linking tone doesn't always target its bondage at the word or morpheme that follows immediately. The vector may fall upon a phrase or a clause, or another structural unit may be inserted before where it lands eventurally. Examples:
h. [Jerry bo_syo=(+)sim=(-) paQ"/m_dtyoQ_/dten_we_/ho_be"] Jerry carelessly dialed the wrong telephone number. i. [qi(E)Ng"tsat- i=(+)qi(E)Ng-\lyaQ_/dtyaQ_\hit=sa~-e-(_)/tsat_a"] The police have already caught those three thieves. j. [qin-na=(+)Rit=(+/-) tzyu-bwat=(+/-)//m_dtu=(+)\ gwa" dtyoQ_\ai"/qa-bpan=(-)] Today (is) weekend. But I have to work overtime. k. [tzin-/sit=le" bo_dtyu~-dti+ tat"/dtyoQ_\ li" sim-ai' e-(_)\nyau_a"] Very sorry (for) my kick by accident on the cat you love.
In these sentences the boldface type indicates the target of bondage. For purpose of clarity in transcription the beginning of a deferral is indicated by a space if one or more additional spaces appear inside the stretch, such as shown in sentences j and k.
-- For audio play of Hoyloy sentences a. through k. of this section, click here. --
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Enclitic tones are employed in the rolling-off format where a heavy syllable is followed by one or more light syllables. Such a format brings about significant effect upon the meaning of an expression in Hoyloy. Take note the difference between, say, the phrase 1. [u-|dtam'bpo'a'] for 'have some' and the phrase 2. [u_dtam_bpo_a" nya_nya-] for 'have (not) but little', where the word [dtam_bpo_a"] for 'a little' or 'little' turns out to mean more than just a little when this format is applied for emphasis as illustrated by phrase 1. in contrast to phrase 2.
After the brief introduction of rolling-off format for emphasis, let us now turn our look to the general application of enclitic tones to final particles which are morphemes used exclusively for closing sentences grammatically or modally. There are two categories of final particles which we shall look at separately.
Category one for interrogative final particles: These are the three final particles serving as interrogatives as illustrated in the following examples.
a. [hej(we)+(=)tsya-(=) lai+|b(/w)e'] 'Has the train come yet?' b. [tzit=e_/wi- u_/laNg_e+|bo'] 'Is this seat taken?' c. [gwa" e_sai+dtit=/ dti_\tzya= tze- hO~Q-] 'I may take this seat, right?' d. [ba=sj(u)Q- lai+|a'b(/w)e'] 'Has the bus already come?' e. [ya=b(/w)e- hO~Q-] '(It) hasn't come, right?'
Category two for final particles of aspect or modality: There are quite a few of them and it is not easy to explain their modal meanings in English. In the following sentences some of the most common final particles of this category are illustrated.
f. [ki"|lai'O'//ti~= qNg=|lO'] 'Come on, get up. It's dawn already.' g. [aa' ti~= qNg=|a=]/[aa' ti~=.qNg=|lO'(=)] 'Ah it's dawn already.' h. [tzit=ma" qwi+(=)dtyam"|a'] 'What time is it now?' i. [i=(+)qi(E)Ng-\laK_dtyam"|lO'] 'Six o'clock already.' j. [ha~+: ya+qo"\hyaQ"\tza"|O'] 'What? Still so early.' k. [li=(+)e-(_)/si-(_)bpyo=(+)a" si_m_si_/pai"|ki'a'] 'Isn't your watch broken?' l. [bo+|neQ-] 'But no.'
-- For audio play of the Hoyloy sentences a. through l. in this section, click here. --
Excluding the acute, the crescent and the flat, the choice of pattern for an enclitic tone may vary depending on which accent a speaker uses and be affected by tones of bordering syllables. Generally speaking the grave pattern may fit most situations unless a fixed pattern should be used for a specific expression.
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Section 4. Words of Rolling-off Format
Beside their syntactical usages we have looked at so far, enclitic tones are also applied to words
formed after the rolling-off format. Examples:
1. [sen-si(E)~=(-)], a polite address for medical doctors, teachers and men of age, is pronounced with enclitic tones when used as a title equivalent to 'Mister' in English, such as [Lim+|sen'si(E)~'] for Mr. Lim; 2. [au_Rit=(+/-)] means 'some day in the future' while [au-|Rit'] means 'day after tomorrow'; 3. [Rit+(=/-)|si'] meaning 'daytime' is lexicalized from the two morphemes [Rit+(=/-)] for 'sun' and [si+] for 'time'; 4. [qwa~+|laNg'] meaning 'winter' is lexicalized from the phrase which means 'to cause people to feel cold'.
Similar to the polite address of example one are addresses of households, such as [li"|qa'] for the Lee's family, [dtan+|qa'] for the Dtan's family and [lyau-|tsu'] for the Lyau's house -- usaully referring to the location or place of. Note, however, in compounds like [lim_(-)qa-/hwe-hNg+] for the garden of Lim's family and [lwa_tsu"/tzNg-(=)] the village of Lua's family used as placenames the rolling-off format is lost.
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Section 5. Rhetorical Tonal Bondage
To tell the difference between the rhetorical bondage and the obligatory one, let us look at the examples given below.
For rhetorical tonal bondage:
a. [ko+(=)niNg_(-)/e_/loQ_hO-] or [ko+(=)niNg+ e_/loQ_hO-]
(it might rain)
b. [qONg+(=)we- bput=sam-bput=sj'] or ...[bput=sam= bput=sj']
(talking indecently or gibberishly)
c. [gu_nNg+ tzit=lj(u)" in- nNg_laNg+] or [gu_nNg_(-)/tzit=lj(u)"]...
(the two persons, 'Cowherd' and 'Weaving Girl')
In example a. the adverb [ko+(=)niNg+] modifies the whole predicate [e_/lOQ_hO-], tonal
bondage or no tonal bondage doesn't affect the meaning of the sentence.
In example b. the phrase [bput=sam-bput=sj'] consists of of two parts, [bput=sam=] and [bput=sj'], which are unusable except for forming the idiomatic phrase. Absence of tonal bondage between them doesn't seem adequate.
In example c. the phrase with two autonomous members normally joined with a connective such as [ham\+] for [gu=(_)nNg+ ham_\tzit=lj(u)"], may be construed as referring to some proper name when connected to each other with a tonal bondage.
However a rhetorical tonal bondage is used, it is recommended to place a slash in front of the
symbol for either a linking tone such as
[ko+(=)niNg/-e_/loQ_hO-],
or a basic tone such as
[ko+(=)niNg/+ e_/loQ_hO-].
On the other hand, the above-described rhetorical tonal bondage being not syntactically necessary
it may be optioned to leave it unmarked, such as
[ko+(=)niNg+ e_/loQ_hO-],
to let knowledgeable readers decide where such a bondage can take place appropriately.
For obligatory tonal bondage:
d. [e_/si+(-)/e_/waQ+(=/-)] cf. ?[e_/si" e_/waQ+(=/-)]*,
(lit. able to die and able to live/capable to meet extreme situations),
*Not recommandable. cf. [e_si" b(/w)e_waQ+(=/-)];
e. [tzit_tsyu+(=)/po_/gin+(=)na"//tzit_tsyu+(=)/qwa~_/bpau-hOK_(-)a"],
(holding a child with one arm while carrying a clothing package
with another),
cf.[tzit=tsyu" po_/gin+(=)na"//hit=tsyu" qwa~_/bpau-hOK_a"],
(holding a child with this arm and carrying a clothing package
with the other);
f. [i-(=) ho+(=)ka_/(*)ho+(=)tysu" si_/an"tzwa~" m_to+(=)tan'],
(Being capable why is she/he unwilling to work for living?)
*Note that [ho+(=)ka_/(*)ho+(=)tsyu"] (lit. good-legs-good-hands) is a word-equivalent
where the slash indicated is even superfluous.
Choice between linking tone and rolling-off: Similar rhetorical tonal bondage happens to the rolling-off format occassionally. Examples:
g. [qya~+|Rip'lai' qo"\qya~+|tsut'ki'] or [qya~_(-)/Rip_lai+ qo"\
qya~_(-)/tsut"ki'] (walking in and out repeatedly)
h. [hO_\gwa+(=)/bpai"tOK-|tzit'bpai' dtyoQ_\ho"] or [...bpai"tOK=/tzit_
bpai" dtyoQ_\ho"] (do me just one favor)
It is a delicate choice using the rolling-off format under some circumstances. For example, to
me the one capped with a question mark of following two sentences is simply dismissible:
i. [i- na\ai'|li dtyoQ_e_/tya~'|li'] (He/she will care for you affectionately if he/she loves you.) ?. [i- na\ai"/li" dtyoQ_e_/tya~" li"]
-- For audio play of Hoyloy sentences a. through i. of this section, click here. --
Back to: topSection 6. Personal Pronouns and Demonstratives
Personal Pronouns
All personal pronouns in Hoyloy including the indefinite personal pronoun [laNg\+] make use of linking tones in a way different from the practice we have discussed so far. We will look at the indefinite personal pronoun [laNg\+] and the rest of the personal pronouns separately.
The indefinite personal pronoun is derived through grammaticalization of the word [laNg+] for 'person'. It is never used alone and therefore bound with a linking tone unless it is assigned an artificial basic tone for citation, just like any other quasi-word has to be. Through appropriate marking of tonal bondage the word [laNg+] for 'person' and [laNg\+] for 'indefinite personal pronoun' are distinguished from each other as illustrated in the following two sentences:
a. [u_/laNg_(-)\dti-|de' bo'] (Anybody home? )
b. [li" kwa~'][laNg_(-)\qONg+(=)/ qONg+(=)/laNg+ laNg+ qau'//
qONg+(=)/qwi" qwi" qau'] (Look. People say 'talk of the Devil and he
is bound to appear'.)
c. [li" bo_ai"/tsap-|laNg' laNg_(-)\ma\bo_ai"/tsap-|li'] (you don't pay
attention to 'someone(s)', so 'someone(s)' won't to you either.)
Note that the indefinite personal pronoun may also be referring to certain person or persons
known tacitly as exemplified by sentence c.
Let us now look at the other personal pronouns*1. To see the distinction between them and other words regarding the tonal bondage with linking tones, let us look at the following examples.
| for these pronouns | for other words |
|---|---|
| 1. [gwa=e_(-)/baK_qya~'] my eye-glasses |
[a-bpa=.e_(-)/baK_qya~'] Daddy's eye-glasses |
| 2. [baK_qya~' si_/gwa+(=)e+] the eye-glasses are mine |
[baK_ya~' si_/a-bpa=.e+] the eye-glasses are Daddy's |
| 3. [hO_\gwa(+)=/kwa~'] let me look |
[hO_\sen-si(E)~(-)= kwa~'] let the teacher look |
| 4. [qa_\i-(*2)/qw(/a)i~(-)=|ki'lai'] close (lock) him/her/it up |
[qa_\mNg+ qw(/a)i~-(=)|ki'lai'] close the door |
In sentences 1. and 2., pronouns suffixed with [e+] turn into possessive pronouns for which it is superfluos to divide the pronoun from the suffix with slashing. On the other hand a noun keeps its basic tone even when compounded with the possessive suffix -[e+]. It is recommended to have a dot inserted between the noun and the possessive suffix as shown in these examples. In sentences 3 and 4, each pronoun preceded with a case marker, [hO\-] or [qa\-], submits to linking tone in contrast to basic tone for the other word in the same position.
*1These pronouns have two outstanding features worth mentioning here. First, for them the only inflectional morpheme in Hoyloy is used, in the form of suffix 'n', to denote plurality (and sometimes possessive case ),
[gwa"] (I/me) => [gu(/a)n"] (exclusive we/us)/[lan"] (inclusive we/us), [li"] (you)=> [lin"] (you) and [i=(-)] (he/him/she/her/it)=> [in=(-)] (they/them).Secondly, separate pronouns for distinction between inclusive and exclusive 'we/us' as shown above, a typical feature with Austronesian languages (Tagalog, for instance).
*2The pattern of plateau or plain may be used as basic tone for the third person pronoun, namely, [i-(=)], whereas the pattern of plain serves for the correspondent linking tone
When a verb takes a personal pronoun for object forming a verb phrase, such a phrase is frequently cast into the rolling-off format unless the person referred to becomes the focus of comment. Examples:
d. [tNg_(-)a" tzit_lyap_/hO-|gwa'(-) ho"|bo'] ([tNg_(-)a"] being the
focus of comment )
(Give me a candy, alright?)
e. [gwa" ma_\b(w)eQ-]
(Me too.)
f. [gwa" qan-na-\tsun-/tzit_lyap=(+/-)]
(I have only one left.)
g. [hO._/gwa"] ([gwa"] being the focus of comment)
(Give it to me.)
Demonstratives:
A demonstrative [tzit\-] (this) or [hit\-] (that) is always prefixed to a numerative to form a demonstrative adjective or pronoun. Caution must be taken to guard from confusing the demonstrative [tzit\-] with the numeral [tzit+(=/-)] for 'one'. Examples:
h. [tzit=tzyaQ- si_/yu~_(-)a"//hit=tzyaQ- si_/gu+]
This is a goat. That is a cow/ox.
i. [tzit_tzyaQ"/gu+ bpi+(=)/tzit_e_(/-)/laNg+ kaQ"\dtaNg- ]
A cow is heavier than a person.
The demonstrative pronouns formed through contraction (see next section) with generic numeratives [e+] (for 'this' and 'that') and [qwai~=]* (for 'these' and 'those'), also used as demonstrative adjectives, are normally fixed with the tone pattern of plateau (or plain for a certain accent) for all occassions.
*[qwai~(-)"] for 'a small quantity'. See Carstairs Douglas 1873: Amoy Dictionary p 237.
-- For audio play of Hoyloy sentences a. through b. of this section, click here. --
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The process of contraction reduces a string of morphemes or words into a compact form. Many of them may be turned back to the original forms. What follows is a selective listing of such forms for illustration.
Part A: lexical forms
a. [hit=e+] 'that one' => [h(/i),e=] 'that'
b. [hit=qwai~"] 'that small quantity' => [h,wai=]/[h,yai=] 'those'
c. [kwa~'|qi~'] 'to see' => [kwa~'|,i~']
d. [si"tzap_it-] 'forty-one' => [si,ap=it-]
d. [sya+mi+(=)/laNg+] 'what person' => [sya~+\laNg+] => [sya,Ng+(")]
e. [tzit=e+] 'this one' => [tz(i),e=(-)] 'this'
f. [tzit=qwai~"] 'this small quantity' => [tz,wai=]/[tz,yai=] 'these'
Part B: grammatical forms
a. [dti-|de'] 'being there (in existence)' -- grammaticalized into [dti-|de\'] => [dti,e\']/[dt,e\']/[d,e\'] (progressive aspect marker) [tzit=ma" u_/dti_de=\loQ_hO-|bo'] [tzit=ma" u_/dti,e=\loQ_hO-|bo'] Is it raining now? b. [hO_\laNg\+] '(some action taken) by someone'=>[h,ONg\+]/[hO_,Ng\+] [hit=dtai_(-)/tsya(-)= hO,Ng_\tau-kan=|ki'lO'] 'That car was stolen by someone.' Compare with: [hO_\hej" syo=|ki'lO'] 'burned down by fire' c. [lONg+tzONg"] 'in all'=>[l,ONg\"] [hi"bpi(E)~-ka= e_(-)/laNg+ lONg+(=)tzONg+(=)\dtNg"|ki'lO'] [hO~' l,ONg+(=)\dtNg"|ki'lO'] 'All people down the stage have gone back (home).' 'I see. All gone back (home).' d. [m_dtu+(=)ho"] 'unfortunately'=>[m_dtu\"] 'however' [gwa" b(/w)eQ"/bp(/w)e_syONg"|i'//m_dtu+(=)\i- bo_(-)ai'] 'I offer (some) compensation but she/he doesn't want (it)' e. [qa-\laNg\+] '(do..) to/from/for someone'=>[q,aNg\+]/[qa_Ng\+] [li" na_\qa_Ng-\pen'//laNg-(_)\ma_e_/qa_\li=/pen'] 'If you cheat to someone, someone else will cheat to you.' [li" na_\q,aNg_\tau-teQ+//laNg_\m_e_/qa_\li=/tau-teQ+] 'If you steal from someone, someone else will steal from you.' f. [qo"\lONg+tzONg\"] 'lit. in spite of all/still'=>[qo"l,ONg\"] => [q,ONg\"] adverb with meaning like 'it makes me wonder that...' [waQ_b(/w)eQ"\qwa~+|si'laNg' i- q,ONg+(=)\ya+(=)\tNg"bpaK"teQ-] 'It's deadly (freezing) cold, odd to me for him/her to stay unclothed.'
The comma (,) as used in the above examples denotes an abridgement or omission of syllables. Similarily a comma may be used to indicate the shortening of a clause such as [bo+,dtyo\ho"] for [na_bo+ dtyo_ho"] meaning 'that's fine if only you didn't'.
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Section 8. Interminative Verbs
There are a few verbs in Hoyloy which are always used in connection with an object or a complement. They can thus be called interminative verbs. For transcribing such a verb a dot is recommended for insertion before the ending symbol for a linking tone in a construction or an artificial basic tone for citation as exemplified in what follows.
1. [hO.-] 'to give/to let'; e.g. a. [Tommy hO._gwa=/tzit_qi-/en-(_)bpit-] Tommy gave me a pencil. b. [Tzit=e-(_)/wi- hO._gwa=/tze- ho"|bo'] Let me take this seat, O.K.? 2. [qy,o"si.-]* 'to suppose'; e.g. c. [gwa" qy,o"si._li" bo_/b(/w)ejQ/lai+|de'] 'I thought you would'nt come.' *A contraction of [qe=(+)tzo(/e)"si-.] 'to presuppose (something false) to be true'. 3. [qyo"tzo(/e).'] 'to be called (by the name of)'; e.g. d. [tzit=haNg_/mi"a" qyo"tzo(/e)."sya=(+)mi"] 'what is this item called?'Note that the word [hO.-] may undertake the rolling-off format such as for [hO-|gwa"] 'give (it) to me', where the use of basic tone is obligatory.
-- For audio play of Hoyloy sentences a. through d. of this section, click here. --
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Section 9. Overloading a Transcription
A transcription may be overloaded to show different pronunciations of the word transribed. Examples:
1. [pwa"bpi(E)~-] (illness) stands for either [pwa"bpi~-] or [pwa"bpE~-] 2. [syO(a)Ng_ho"] (best) stands for [syONg_ho"] or [syaNg_ho"] 3.. [im-gaK+(=/-)] (music) stands for [im-gaK+], [im-gaK=] or [im-gaK-]
In some words a segmental sound heard in one accent disappears in another. The symbol of such a sound is placed behind a slash before being enclosed with a pair of parentheses. Examples:
1. [s(/w)e"han'] (young/small person) stands for [se"han'] or [swe"han'] 2. [qw(/a)i~=] (to close) stands for [qwi~=] or [qwai~=]
It is obviously imposible for everyone to overload a transcription. Neither is it necessary, for anyone who speaks in Hoyloy as spoken in Taiwan can be understood by other Hoyloy speakers no matter which accent he/she uses. The extra labor taken for overloading is nevertheless worthwhile when it comes to preparing tutorials for unspecified students.
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Elongation of the vowel sound in a syllable -- an extended tone pattern in other words -- is used for exaggeration in such cases as exclamations with three identical monosyllabic morphemes in a row for an adverb or adjective and surprise motivated interrogatives. Examples:
1. [aNg+:aNg_(-)aNg+] (very very red) 2. [swi+(=):swi+(=)swi"] (very very beautiful) 3. [ha~+: tzyaQ\tzyo"] (whaat, so little)The pattern of crescent with increased rising pitch and loudness is dominantly used as linking tone for the elongated syllable, though the extended pattern of plateau may be heard in some cases.
Take note that vowel elongation may also be represented with digraphs* made up with identical vowel symbols such as [haa~+], [OO+] and [aa' ].
*Many self-explanatory symbols, mostly digraphs, may be adopted for utterances which are not treated as regular morphemes or words.
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The quality of checked tones in contrast to unchecked tones is demonstrated typically in the words listed below:
[qa-] 'to bite vs. [qap-] 'to fold', [qat-] 'a knot', [qaK-] 'horn/angle' and [qaQ-] 'to cover/protective cover' such as in [tzi(E)Ng+(=)qaQ-] 'finger-nail'.
Syllables bearing checked tones are divided into two groups of nominal tone whereas syllables bearing unchecked fall into the other five groups. (The schema of nominal tones directs the correspondence between basic tones and linking tones.)
A comprehensive listing of sample words bearing checked tones is given under caption of 'D. With Stop Finals' in the next section.
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Section 12. List of Rhyming Entities
Followers of Chinese phonological tradition do not recognise vowels as phonetic entities. To them the pronunciation of a kanji (Chinese ideogram) is composed of three parts: an initial, a rhyming entity and a tone -- kanji used in Hoyloy being monosyllabic. Put in other words, a rhyming entity is a syllable rid of its frontal consonants, such as the 'ight' in 'bright'. Since no consonant clusters are found in any indigenous Hoyloy words, a syllable is readily formed by joining an initial consonant or no consonant to a toned rhyming entity. What follows is a comprehensive listing of sample-illustrated rhyming entities of Hoyloy in use on Taiwan today, though not all of them are necessary for reading kanji. (Traditional literati of kanji recognise fifty rhyming entities.) This listing is not intended to be exhaustive.
A.With Open Finals: 1. [a] as in [dta=] for 'dry'; 2. [wa] as in [tzwa"] for 'paper'; 3. [ya] as in [sya"] for 'to write'; 4. [e] as in [dte"] for 'short'; 5. [we] as in [bpwe-a"] for 'cup'; 6. [ej] as in [sej"qim=] for 'tax'; 7. [i] as in [bi"] for 'rice'; 8. [ai] as in [sai-nai=] for 'to court childishly'; 9. [wi] as in [qwi"] for 'ghost'; 10. [wai] as in [qwai=] for 'inclined to comply'; 11. [j] as in [i"sj'] for 'meaning'; 12. [O] as in [qO"] for 'drum'; 13. [o] as in [po-] for 'to hold (a baby) with arms'; 14. [yo]as in [Ryo-] for 'urine'; 15. [u] as in [su=] for 'to lose'; 16. [yu] as in [tzyu"] for 'liquor'; 17. [au] as in [qau"] for 'dog'; 18. [yau] as in [kyau"] for 'smart'. B.With Nasalized Finals: 1. [a~] as in [dta~=] for '(as for) now'; 2. [wa~] as [wa~"] for 'bowl'; 3. [ya~] as in [tzai-ya~"] for 'to know'; 4. [e~]/[E~] as in [e~+qau"] for 'mute'; 5. [i~] as in [ti~- dtiNg"] for 'sky'; 6. [wi~] as in [qwi~=] for 'to close'; 7. [ai~] as in [ai~-] for 'to carry (a baby) on the back'; 8. [wai~] as in [swai- a"] for 'mango'; 9. [O~] as in [hO~"qi+] for 'curious'; 10. [yO~] a a substitute for [yu~]; 11. [yu~] as in [tzyu~"tsai'] for 'vegetable seasoned with sauce'. C.With Nasal Finals: 1. [am] as in [qam=(=)a=(=)dtyam'] for 'grocer's store'; 2. [an] as in [an+] for 'tight'; 3. [aNg] as in [m_taNg=] for 'shoud not (as suggested)'; 4.[en]* as in [en"ki'] for 'disgraceful'; 5.[eNg]/[ENg] a substitute for [iNg]; 6. [im] as in [im"si~-] for 'dry- salted peas preserved for use as a condiment'; 7. [in] as in [sa-in"] for 'to sign'; 8. [iNg] as in [iNg-to+] for 'cherry'; 9. [m] as in [a-m"] for 'address for an elderly woman'; 10. [Ng] as in[hwe-hNg+] for 'garden'; 11. [Om] as in [Om=] for 'to close (an opening with a cover); 12. [ONg] as in [hyONg-qONg+] for 'impulsive (in manner)'; 13. [un] as in [un"dtau_yu+] for 'dipping (something) in sauce'; 14. [wan] as in [swan=] for 'to escape'; 15. [yam] as in [syam"] for 'to get out of the way'; 16. [yan]* as in [syan-] for 'bored/tired'; 17. [yaNg] as in [kyaNg'] for 'skilled'; 18. [yONg] as in [syo-RyONg"] for 'to quarrel'. D.With Stop Finals: 1. [aK] as in [kaNg-kaK-] for 'empty shell'; 2. [ap] as in [laQ"sap-] for 'dirty'; 3. [at] as in [kwi"lat+] for 'strength', 4. [aQ] as in [laQ_tziK-] for 'candle'; 5. [auQ] as in [qa-lauQ=(+/-)] for 'to get fallen off accidently'; 6. [EK] for use in place of [iK]; 7. [eQ] as in [tNg"bpaK"teQ-] for 'to get naked'; 8.[et]* as in [tset-] for 'to cut'; 9. [eQ][ejQ] as in [geQ_bai+] for 'crescent'; 10. [iK] as in [qiK"qut-] for 'naughty'; 11. [ip] as in [sip"ki'] for 'humidity; 12. [iQ] as in[tiQ"tau+] for 'haircut'; 13.[it] as in [Rit_tau+] for 'sun'; 14. [OK] as in [kOK"tau+] for 'big forehead'; 15. [Op] as in [kOp=puQ-] for 'cup'; 16. [oQ] as in [gyo+dtoQ-] for 'superlative'; 17. [uQ] as in [tuQ-] for 'to push with a rod/finger; 18. [ut] as in [sut-] for 'to whip'; 19. [waQ] as in [qa-tzwaQ+] for 'cockroach'; 20. [wat] as in [wat_nam+] for 'Vietnam'; 21. [weQ] as in [bpweQ-] for 'eight'; 22. [wiQ] as in [hwiQ-] for 'blood'; 23. [yaK] as in [bpyaK-] for 'to explode'; 24. [yap] as in [tzi"tzyap-] for 'to receive'; 25. [yaQ] as in [lyaQ+] for 'to catch (persons or animals)'; 26. [yat]* as in [pyau-pyat-] for 'easy manner or manly', 27.[yOK] as in [qe"syOK=(+/-)] for 'to continue'; 28. [yoQ] as in [bo_yoQ=(+/-)] for 'incurable/hopeless'. E.With Nasalized Stop Finals: 1. [a~Q] as in [sa~Q-] for 'to be tempted'; 2.[E~Q] as in [gE~Q-] for 'to pick up (with chopsticks); 3.[i~Q] as in [si~Q-] for '(light) to twinkle'; 4. [ya~Q] as in [hya~Q-] for 'to hand carry (clothes)'.
*[yan] and [yat] or perhaps [yen] and [yet] may be heard in reading literature written in kanji. In daily life, [en] and [et] are oftener heard instead than not.
Some of the rhyming entities heard in one accent are replaced by others in another accent. Examples: 1. the word for 'star' is pronounced as [tsi~=] by some people and [tsE~=] by others; 2. the word for 'one hundred millions' is pronounced as [iK-] by some people and [EK-] by others; 3. the word for 'dragon' is pronounced as [lyONg+] by some people and [liNg+] by others. In many cases, such as for the examples cited, one spelling in accordance with the orthography will serve for two pronunciations. Only a few of the words with different pronunciations need additional spellings.
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Section 13. Phonetic Treatment of Loan Words
No indigenous Hoyloy words contain consonant clusters nor do they end with consonants other than nasals and releaseless stops mentioned in 'Part Three: Consonants'. For any of such foreign words to be borrowed for use in Hoyloy, each dangly consonant has to be pronounced or rendered into a cursory syllable with a weak vowel. The transcriptive symbol to denote such a vowel or a pronounced consonant is underscored. Examples:
a. 'click' =>[kuli"ku] b. 'sister' =>[si=sjte'Ru] c. 'tap'=> [tap=puQ-] (taps for threading) cf [tap-](to tap for threads) d. 'service' =>[sa+bi"sj'] or [sa+bi=s]
There are no specific ASCII code numbers for the underscored letters. For transcription files to be transmitted in plain ASCII code over electronic devices an underscored letter is rewritten as the letter combined with an asterisk. Example:
a. [tap=puQ]=>[tap=pu*Q] b. [sa+bi=s] => [sa+bi=s*]
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Section 14. Insertion of Non-transcriptive Elements
There are two typical kinds of non-transcriptive elements that may be inserted inside transcriptions; namely, quotations and pointers for annotation. Note that no quotation marks are used. Examples:
a. [PC tzu+yau' e_\tzOK=gyap_/he_tONg" Windows i+gwa- ya=u_/Linux]
Besides Windows, Linux is a major PC operating system.
b. [hya-bpai= qi-ta~= nNg_tzyONg=/hwat=im=//hya-bpai~= ham_\hya-
bpan=//(*)tzit=ma" dti_\dtai_wan+ han+dtit=/tya~=|dtyoQ']
The two pronunciations, [hya-bpai~=] and [hy-bpan=]*, besides
[hya-bpai=] are rarely heard now in Taiwan.
*Carstairs Douglas (1873).
c. [Mary b(/w)eQ"ki"/dtO-su-qwan" swaQ"\ki"/hO_\Haruko tzyo-/ki"/
kwa~"/dten_ya~"]
"Mary wanted to go to the library but was asked (for company) by
Haruko to see a movie instead.'
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In what follows extra symbols that do not represent tones or segmental sounds are compiled into a referential source. They make up a systemized set of practical symbols most of which have been illustrated sporadically throughout the preceding sections.
1. Brackets: A phonetic transcription is typically enclosed by a pair of left-hand and right-hand square brackets.
2. Hyphen: A morpheme in citation form is hyphenated in front and/or rear of it to indicate that it doesn't normally appear in speech without being co-built with another morpheme regressively and/or progressively. For example, the morpheme -[ts(/w)e=]- meaning beginning is used only for forming such words as [ts(/w)e-it-] (first day in a month) and [ts(/w)e-Ri-] (second day in a month) up to [ts(/w)e-tzap=(+/-)] (the tenth day in a month) as well as [g(/w)eQ_ts(/w)e=] (early in the month) and [ni-(_)ts(/w)e=] (early in the year).
3. Space and no-space:
-- a. A space inside a transcription indicates that the tone mark of the current syllable represents a basic tone or an enclitic tone at the end of a rolling-off format; or, if placed right after a tone mark duly indicated as linking tone, the beginning of a deferred tonal bondage.
-- b. A no-space -- that is, two syllables being conncected to each another without a space in between -- indicates that the tone mark of the current syllable represents a linking tone or an enclitic tone inside a rolling-off format.
4. Double virgule: Optional. This symbol, composed of two virgules in a row, is used to delimit a unit of transcription from the rest of it when this unit serves as a separate phrase or a clause syntactically.
5. Verticle bar: A verticl bar must be used to indicate that the current syllable heads the rolling-off format in which a syllable with a more or less emphasized basic tone is followed by one or more syllables bearing enclitic tones.
6. Hash mark: At the close of a line where the transcription breaks for a new line, a hash mark (#) is used when a space is intended.
7. Slash: Optional. A slash may be used to indicate a reversible linking tone connecting two units of meaning. For a rhetorical linking tone the slash may be placed before rather than after the tone mark. A slash placed before a tone mark for basic tone indicates that change to a rhetorical linking tone is optional.
8. Backslash:
-- a. Optional. A backslash indicates that the linking tone of the current syllable is not reversible because it belongs to a grammatical morpheme that must always be connected to the next unit of meaning.
-- b. For such a morpheme in citation form where the last syllable is assigned an artificial basic tone a backslash must be placed in front of the tone mark representing the artificial basic tone.
9. Dot:
Some morphological or syntactical relations may be indicated through the use of a dot -- same form as the punctuation mark of period or fullstop. This is called a dot joint. Some typical usages are described as follows.
-- a. Optional. For indication of an interminative verb, a dot is inserted before its final tone mark for a linking tone in a construction or an artitificial basic tone for citation.
-- b. Optional. For a possessive construction, a dot may be inserted between a noun or noun
equivalent and the possessive particle to show the integrity even though the head ends with a
basic tone. Examples:
[qin-na=Rit=(+/-).e-(_)/bpo"tzwa"] (today's paper), [kO"|e'.e-(_)/bpen_dtOng=]
(lunch box for the person with the surname of [kO"]).
10.Comma: A comma indicates some reduction of phonetic elements inside a contracted form. See Contraction for explanation of a contracted form.
11. Parentheses for overloading:
-- a. Inside a transcribed syllable a symbol of tone or segmental sound enclosed by parentheses may substitute the symbol given in front of the parentheses for a different pronunciation. If more than one substitutes are enclosed, it is necessary that a slash be used as a borderline between two of them.
-- b. Inside a transcribed syllable a symbol of segmental sound enclosed together with a frontal slash may or may not be taken as part of the syllable dependent on the accent in which it is pronounced.
12. Insertion: See Insertion of Non-transcriptive Elements.
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The Hoyloy alphabet consists of the same 26 letters as used in English. Some of the letters which are not required for transcribing indigenous Hoyloy words are reserved for loan words. In the orthorgraphy to be introduced in due time, all proper names as well as technical terms will be treated phonetically as much as practical for easier pronunciation in Hoyloy without changeing their original spellings. It is also beneficial to use the same numbers of letters for notational purposes in bilingual documentation.
In the alphabetic table that follows, suggested Hoyloy names for all letters are provided, though it is customary in daily Hoyloy to use the English names with slightly adapted pronunciation.
| uppercase | lowercase | English names | Hoyloy names |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | a | 'a(y)' | [a=(-)] |
| B | b | 'bee' | [be=(-)] |
| C | c | 'see' | [tse=(-)] |
| D | d | 'dee' | [de=(-)]/[dt=(-)] |
| E | e | 'ee' | [i(E)Ng-gu(j)=(+)i=(-)] |
| F | f | 'ef' | [e"hu']/ [e"f(u)'] |
| G | g | 'jee' | [ge=(-)] |
| H | h | 'a(y)ch' | [e"tsi'] |
| I | i | 'i' as in 'like' | [ai=(-)] |
| J | j | 'ja' as in 'jade' | [yOt=(+/-)] |
| K | k | 'ka' in 'kate' | [ke=(-)] |
| L | l | 'el' | [e"lu'] |
| M | m | 'em' | [e"mu'] |
| N | n | 'en' | [en=(-)] |
| O | o | 'o' as in 'so' | [O=(-)]/[o=(-)] |
| P | p | 'pee' | [pi=(-)] |
| Q | q | 'quee' | [kyu=(-)] |
| R | r | 'ar' as in 'arc' | [a"Ru'] |
| S | s | 'es' | [e"sj(u)'] |
| T | t | 'tee' | [ti=(-)] |
| U | u | 'yu' as in 'yule' | [yu=(-)] |
| V | v | 'vee' | [bwi=(-)] |
| W | w | 'double u' | [d(dt)a-b(u*)lu=(+)yu=(-)] |
| X | x | 'exs' | [e"k(u*)su(j)'] |
| Y | y | 'wi' as in 'wise' | [wai=(-)] |
| Z | z | 'zee'/'zet' | [tzet=(+/-)] |
-- For audio play of Hoyloy names for the alphabetic letters, click here. --
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