Appendix: The System of Nominal Tones

--applicable to Hoyloy as spoken in Taiwan--

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Editor's note: The orthographic tone marks indicated inside this article are not presented -- a defect considered bearable to readers interested in the the description of the Hoyloy nominal tones.

Listed below are words taken as examples to illustrate the application of one of the nominal tones:

Column 1	Column 2
[tzap=] 'ten'	[tzap-tsit-] 'seventeen'
[tzap+] 'ten'	[tzap-tsit-] 'seventeen'
[tzap-] 'ten'	[tzap-tsit-] 'seventeen'
[qut=] 'to dig'	[qut_tzwi=qau=] 'to dig ditches'
[qut+] 'to dig'	[qut_tzwi+qau-] 'to dig ditches'
[qut-] 'to dig'	[qut_tzwi=qau=] 'to dig ditches'
[laK=] 'six'	[laK_tzap=] 'sixty'
[laK+] 'six'	[laK_tzap+] 'sixty'
[laK-] 'six'	[laK_tzap-] 'sixty'
[laQ=] 'wax'	[laQ_tziK-] 'candle'
[laQ+] 'wax'	[laQ_tziK-] 'candle'
[laQ-] 'wax'	[laQ_tziK-] 'candle'

As shown in the first column three different tone patterns are used as the basic tones for the syllables in boldface type as pronounced in three different accents for each word listed. Each of these tone pattern is a value assignable to the nominal tone designated as 41a or 8a. Not all nominal tones have three assignable values as can be seen in the Table of Nominal Tones. In some cases, only one value is assignable; that is, only one tone pattern may apply to one nominal tone.

In the second column only one tone pattern is used as a linking tone for the three syllables in boldface type pronounced for each word in the three different accents. The nominal tone in this case, designated as 41b or 8b, has only one assignable value common to the three accents. As can be seen in the Table of Nominal Tones there are a couple of cases where two tone patterns used as linking tones may be applied to a nominal tone. Two examples are given below for illustration:

The nominal tones are coded following a two-fold quartet* or a straight sequence of 1 through 8. The two-fold quartet has the first digit of a code running from 1 through 4 and the second digit running from 0 through 1. A two-digit code can be converted into a straight sequence code, which is the usual practice in Taiwan now, by adding the result of the second digit number times 4 to the first digit number. A nominal tone typically implies a pair of codes each of which denotes a nominal tone for tone patterns used as basic tones or linking tones. Each code is suffixed with either 'a' for basic tones or 'b' for linking tones. Thus, for instance, code 20b means this a nominal tone for the tone patterns used as linking tones.

*The two-fold quartet follows the Chinese phonological convention developed from its prototype found in the book by Lu Fa-ien (AD 601). In this book all entries of kanji are sorted first according to the tones into four divisions before further sorted according to the rhyming entities into rhyme groups. All entries inside each rhyme group are finally sorted into banks of homonyms--plenty of kanji are homonyms. It is known whether or not two types of tone within each tone division had been recognized by that time. But in the Analytic Dictionary of Chinese and Sino-Japanese (1923) by Bernhard Karlgren, four pairs of high tone and low tone are used for the transcriptions of ancient Chinese.

While eight nominal tones are available in the system, Hoyloy as spoken in Taiwan makes use of only seven of them. The pair of code 21a and code 21b only applies to another variety of Hoyloy called 'Dtioyziu' [dtyo_tzu=]*.

*Based on information provided by [tswa"tzun"biNg+] in his work published in 1991 (ISBN 962-7330-02-7).

It is interesting to note that there are five nominal tones, if only Hoyloy as spoken in Taiwan is taken into consideration, that cover all of the tone patterns for unchecked syllables but only two nominal tones are available for all of the tone patterns for checked syllables. Note also that a nominal tone is distinguished from another through identification of its pair of basic tone and linking tone, not the basic tone or the linking tone alone. In one of the accents in Hoyloy, for instance, the same tone pattern of plain for the checked syllables is assigned to both 40a and 41a as shown in the beginning of our discussion, but different tone patterns for linking tones are assigned to 40b and 41b.

People learn to speak subconsciously. But when it comes to putting their speech in writing, the system of written symbols matching with the sound system must be learned consciously at the beginning. It is hoped that the following Table of Nominal Tones will serve suitably as a mnemonic sketch of the tone system for the beginning learners of the Hoyloy orthography.

Table of Nominal Tones

Basic Tones: A=code numbers B=orthographic tone marks shown by syllables in boldface type C=tone patterns shown by syllables in boldface type			Linking Tones: D=code numbers E=orthographic tone marks shown by syllables in boldface type F=tone patterns shown by syllables in boldface type
A	B	C	D	E	F
10a or 1a	'  ' as in 'hequ' (asthma)	[he-qu=] [he-qu-]	10b or 1b	'  ' as in 'qukac' (turtle shell)	[qu-kaK-]
11a or 5a	'  ' as in 'zuigu' (water buffalo)	[tzwi=gu+] [tzwi+gu+]	11b or 5b	'  ' as in 'gupue' (cowhide)	[gu-pwe+] [gu_pe+]
20a or 2a	'  ' as in 'zui' (water)	[tzwi"]	20b or 2b	'  ' as in 'zuigu' (water buffalo)	[tzwi=gu+] [tzwi+gu+]
21a or 6a Reserved			21b or 6b Reserved
30a or 3a	'  ' as in 'am' (dark)	[am']	30b or 3b	'  ' as in 'amsi' (nighttime)	[am"si+]
31a or 7a	'  ' as in 'dtua' (big)	[dtwa-] [dtwa']	31b or 7b	'  ' as in 'dtuahan' (tall, grown-up)	[dtwa_han']
40a or 4a	'  ' as in 'zapcit' (seventeen)	[tzap_tsit-]	40b* or 4b	'  ' as in 'tsitzap' (seventy)	[tsit=tzap=] [tsit=tzap+] [tsit=tzap-]
41a or 8a	'  ' as in 'imgac' (music)	[im-gaK=] [im-gaK+] [im-gaK-]	41b or 8b	'  ' as in 'gacki' (musical instrument)	[gaK_ki']

*Syllables ending with the glottal stop [Q] and bearing the linking tone tend to be pronounced with 'acute' instead of 'plateau' and the glottal stop substentially weakened or lost. Examples: [tse(/Q)"dtyam'] (bookstore) and [kyo(/Q)"qaK=(+/-)] (to become a totally useless person).

Addendum:
For transcribing traditional Chinese poems written with kanji, no linking tones are used. It must be mentioned here that syllables with tone patterns for code 10a and 11a are classified as 'straight' (s) syllables while the others as 'bent' (b) syllables. Rhythmic formats for such poems consist of regulated combinations of 'straight' and 'bent' syllables. Lengthening of pronunciation for 'straight' syllables is feasible but not for 'bent' syllables. Also, for rhythmic as well as rhyming purposes, archaic pronunciations are often used. Each line in a stanze written with a fixed number of kanji represents a condensed phrase or clause, which may be interpreted through the help from recognition of the kanji used. In the following example transcribed in Hoyloy the meaning of each kanji is given before my liberal Englsih translation for each line:

[tsun- min+ bput' qaK' hyau"] (s/s/b/b/b)
(springtime sleep not aware daybreak )
I woke up late behind a dawn in spring.
[tsu' tsu' bun+ ti+ nyau"] (b/b/s/s/b.)
(place place hear crowing birds)
And singing birds were heard afar and near.
[ya' lai+ hoNg- u" siNg(sya~)-](b/s/s/b/s) 
(night come wind rain sound)
For all the rattling rain and wind in the night,
[hwa- loK+ dti- dto- syau'] (s/b/s/s/b)
(flowers fall know many few)
Might plenty of fallen flowers have been there?

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