A Grammar of Colloquial Chinese, as Exhibited in the Shanghai Dialect

by Joseph Edkins

Native table of Initials.

k 見 kíen k’ 溪 k’í g 郡 giun ng 疑 ngi	t 端 twan t’ 透 t’eú d 定 ding’ n 泥 ní	ch 知 ch ch’ 徹 ch’eh j 澄 jing ni 娘 niáng
p 幫 páng p’ 滂 p’áng b 並 bing m 明 ming	f 非 fí f’ 敷 f’ú v 奉 vóng w 微 ví	ts 精 tsing ts’ 淸 ts’ing dz 從 dzóng s 心 sin z 邪 zié
tsh 照 tshaú t’sh 穿 t’shuen dj 狀 jwang sh 審 shin zh 禪 zhen	y 影 ying h 曉 hiáu y 喩 yü h 匣 hiáh	l 來 lái rh 日 jih

62. From the table it will be seen, that the division into an upper and lower series of initial consonants, the one embracing thin and clear sounds, with strong aspirates, the other including the broader consonants with the liquids and nasals, meets us not only in the study of the tones of a dialect as shewn in the former section, but in the accredited Dictionaries of the general language. This may be readily accounted for from the Kiáng provinces having been the chief seat of literature and political power, when the sounds of the language were first represented by double characters. Since the growth of the modern pronunciation there has been no attempt in any imperial work to form a new system of spelling.[1] The difference of the old system and the new will be understood if it be mentioned that 魚 ü, is spelt ngü, and that 外, 月, wái‘, yöh, are also in the column headed NG. More details on this subject will be found in the appendix. In the 五方元音 a small portable Dictionary on the alphabetic plan, and containing about 10,000 characters, the modern mandarin is followed in the initials and finals.

[ [1] In Káng-hí’s Dictionary many words in the lower first tone, formerly in the g, d, b, columns, have been transferred to the aspirate column, to be in conformity with northern pronunciation. Words in the short tone having k, t, p, as finals in the old system, have also been classed as terminating in vowels, for the same reason. These changes however are only found in Káng-hí’s second table, and the older classification, denoted by a circle round the examples placed where they formerly stood, is retained with the new.

63. In eight of the nine divisions above, the second initial is the strong aspirate either alone or following, the letters k, t, ch, p, f, ts and tsh. Of these the palatal ch, and sibilant tsh, are not needed in Shánghái pronunciation. Ts takes their place. In double initials the aspirate is between t and s, or t and sh.

• (ch) 知道 m. ch táú‘ s. tsz dau‘, to know.
• (tsh) 出來 m. ch’uh lái s. ts’eh lé, come out.

F‘ is the same as f. In other instances the aspirate is always preserved.

• 吹進吹出 t’sz tsing‘ t’sz t’séh, blow in and out.
• 看歇戲否 k’ön‘ h’ih h’í‘ ’vá, have you seen the play?
• 開口 k’é ’k’eu, begin speaking.

In other cases, all these letters with and without aspirates, are the same with mandarin.

64. The third initial of the same eight divisions is wanting for Shánghái, only in the case of those headed ch and tsh. Their place is supplied by z. 形狀 yuug zong‘, visible form. Sh and zh in the seventh, are replaced by s and z.