[ [1] The sound tang is the older. The phonetic 丁 ting points to a final ng as having formerly existed,

To these may be added the tendency of the initial k to be pronounced, when standing before i, like t in the upper series, and like d or dj in the lower.

PART II.
ON THE PARTS OF SPEECH.

Section 1. Native divisions.

83. Common teachers of the language in distinguishing words, only use two pairs of terms, viz. 實, 虛 zeh, h’ü, and 死, 活 ’sz, weh. The former signifies words that have a meaning (full) and such as have not (empty). All substantives are 實字眼 seh zz‘ ’ngan. Auxiliary words or particles receive the name of 虛字眼 h’ü zz‘ ’ngan. Verbs and adjectives are placed by some writers in the first of these classes, and by others in the second. Remusat, says that verbs are 實字 zeh zz‘; a native author 畢華珍 Pih wó tsun treats, all words except substantives, as in the second class.

84. The other pair of terms views words as nouns, which are spoken of as 死字眼 ’si zz‘ ’ngan, or verbs which are 活字眼 weh zz‘ ’ngan. The usual sense of 活 is living, but by an extension of meaning, it is applied to anything not fixed to its place, or liable to change in its appearance or form. Hence, verbs as dependent on circumstances of time, will, etc. are termed moving or transferable words, while substantive are said to be fixed or dead.

85. The native writer just referred to, in a recent work, 衍緖草堂筆記 ’íen ’zü ’t’sau dong pih kí‘, on the parts of speech and construction of sentences, has extended these divisions, by forming the 虛字 h’ü zz‘, or words not substantives, into four classes:—

  1. Adjectives 呆虛字 ngé h’ü zz‘:—
  2. Ex.
  3. 高 kau, high.
  4. 多 tú, many.
  5. 大 tá‘, great.
  6. 低 tí, low.
  7. 少 ’sau, few.
  8. 小 ’siau, small.
  9. Verbs 活虛字 weh h’ü zz‘:—
  10. Ex.
  11. 作 tsok, to do.
  12. 傳 dzén, to deliver down.
  13. 口氣語助虛字 ’k’eu k’i‘ ’nü ’dzú h’ü zz‘. Under this head he gives as examples:—
  14. 焉 íen,?
  15. 乎 ú,?
  16. }
  17. Interrogative and other
    finals.
  18. 哉 tsé,?
  19. 也 ’yé,.
  20. 此 ’t’sz, this.
  21. 所 ’sú, which.
  22. }
  23. Pronouns and the sign of
    the possessive.
  24. 其 gí, he.
  25. 之 tsz, of.
  26. 甚 zun‘, very.
  27. 可, ’k’ó, can.
  28. }
  29. Adverbs & auxiliary
    verbs.
  30. 最 tsûe‘, „
  31. 爲 wé, be.
  32. 空活虛字 k’óng weh h’ü zz‘.
Ex.高 kau, high.多 tú, many.大 tá‘, great.
低 tí, low.少 ’sau, few.小 ’siau, small.
Ex.作 tsok, to do.傳 dzén, to deliver down.