of the words rï‘, two, sï‘, four, tsï‘, a character, chï‘, knowledge, 日 jïh, a day, and similar words. The sound is easier to imitate than to write down. It is produced by enunciating the consonant without any of the common vowels following, only taking care to make the sound distinctly audible by a full expiration of vocal breath. To express it in writing, a new symbol, viz. i with the diæresis, is here proposed. By this means, the insertion of z is dispensed with, and confusion in the use of i or e is also avoided. A further advantage attending the use of a distinct symbol for this vowel is, that sounds such as 實, 日, 直, pronounced shïh, jïh, hïh, can thus be more accurately represented than by the spelling hih, jih, chih. Now vowel i is heard, and these words differ only a tone from the sound of 詩 shï, 之 chï, etc. To omit a vowel ⟨sym⟩bol altogether as in the system of the Chinese Repository, seems ⟨to be⟩ uncalled for, since the sound answers all the purposes of a (illegible text) vowel.
⟨In⟩ expressing the much larger number of vowel sounds found ⟨in⟩ provincial dialects, many more symbols are needed, which are ⟨at⟩tained by the use of accents. The acute accent is used for long ⟨vo⟩wels. The grave and circumflex accents, with the diæresis, de⟨not⟩e other modifications of the vowel. In the short tone, final h ⟨is⟩ added, as also k, t, p, when required.
Vowels with diacritical marks.
| I. | í as ee in see; i as i in sit, ï as e in tassel. | |
| E. | é as ay in pay; e as u in but; è as e in there, then. | |
| A. | á as a in calm; a as a in cat; à as a in man. | |
| O. | ó as o in tone; o as o in lot; ò as o in gone; ö as ö in Göthe. | |
| U. | ú as oo in fool; u as u in full; ü as u in nul (French); û ⟨as⟩ ö pronounced long; ù as u in but pronounced long. |
The sound here written ï, may be illustrated further by words such as mason, Whitsuntide, where the sound exists after s and ts. To obtain it, the n that follows must be omitted.
This is the system, slightly modified, introduced in the Chinese Repository several years since, and retained in other works issued at the Canton press.
The unaccented a is here made the symbol of a in hat, a sound not provided for in the Canton system, though often needed.
