Suzhou dialect - Chinese linguistics and dialect

March 8, 2014


		1 Introduction 2 Phonology 3 Romanization 4 See also

Chinese Chinese linguistics and dialect

Suzhou dialect

Wikipedia

Suzhou dialect (蘇州話 / 苏州话; pinyin: su zhou hua) is a dialect of Wu (linguistics)|Wu, one of the subdivisions of Chinese spoken language. It is spoken in the city of Suzhou, in Jiangsu province of China.

It is typical of the Wu dialects, being rich in vowels and conservative in having many initials, and has many similarities with the Shanghai dialect.

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Phonology

Initials
<TABLE BORDER=1>
<TR><TD> 
</TD><TD>Labials
</TD><TD>Dentals
</TD><TD>Silibants
</TD><TD>Palatals
</TD><TD>Velars
</TD><TD>Laryngeals
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Unvoiced Unaspirated Stops
</TD><TD>IPA|p
</TD><TD>IPA|t
</TD><TD>IPA|ʦ
</TD><TD>IPA|ʨ
</TD><TD>IPA|k
</TD><TD>(IPA|ʔ)
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Unvoiced Aspirated Stops
</TD><TD>IPA|pʰ
</TD><TD>IPA|tʰ
</TD><TD>IPA|ʦʰ
</TD><TD>IPA|ʨʰ
</TD><TD>IPA|kʰ
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Voiced Stops
</TD><TD>b
</TD><TD>d
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|ʥ
</TD><TD>IPA|g
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Nasals
</TD><TD>IPA|m
</TD><TD>IPA|n
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|ɲ
</TD><TD>IPA|ŋ
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Unvoiced Fricatives
</TD><TD>IPA|f
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|s
</TD><TD>IPA|ɕ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|h
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Voiced Fricatives
</TD><TD>IPA|v
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|z
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|ɦ
</TD></TR><TR><TD>Liquids
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|l
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>

Suzhou dialect has a set of voiced initials and exhibits unvoiced unaspirated and aspirated stops, there are unvoiced and voiced fricatives sets. Moreover, palatized initials also feature.

Rimes

<TABLE BORDER=1>
<TR><TD>Vowels
</TD><TD>Diphthongs
</TD><TD>Tripthongs
</TD><TD>Nasals
</TD><TD>Glottals
</TD></TR>
<TR><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|m, n, ŋ, l
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|ɿ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR> 
<TR><TD>IPA|ɥ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>IPA|i
</TD><TD>IPA|i?, io, i?<sub>ɐ</sub>, iɒ
</TD><TD>IPA|i?ʏ
</TD><TD>IPA|in, ioŋ, iã, iɒ̃
</TD><TD>IPA|ɪʔ(iəʔ), ioʔ, iaʔ, iɒʔ
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|y
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|yən
</TD><TD>IPA|yɤʔ
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|u
</TD><TD>IPA|u?, uE, uɒ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|uən, uɒ̃, uã
</TD><TD>IPA|uɤʔ, uaʔ
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|ɪ(iɪ)
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|?
</TD><TD>IPA|?ʏ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|o
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|oŋ
</TD><TD>IPA|oʔ
</TD></TR><TR><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|əu
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|ən
</TD><TD>IPA|ɤʔ
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|E
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|?<sub>ɐ</sub>
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|ã
</TD><TD>IPA|aʔ
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|ɑ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD></TR><TR><TD>IPA|ɒ
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD> 
</TD><TD>IPA|ɒ̃
</TD><TD>IPA|ɒʔ
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>

Suzhou has one tripthong rime, IPA|i?ʏ . Unlike Shanghai, it has no nasalised rimes, although it does have a set of rimes which end in a nasal stop. Middle Chinese ru tone characters which end in -p -t -k end as a glottal stop -IPA|ʔ in Suzhou. Middle Chinese nasal endings -m have merged with rimes which end with -n in Suzhou. Middle Chinese -IPA|ŋ ending rimes have split into two types in Suzhou. Those which have a high fronted main vowel merge with -n ending rimes. Those which possess a palatising medial -i- and back main vowel, retain the -IPA|ŋ ending.

Tones

<TABLE BORDER=1>
<TR><TD>Yin Ping
</TD><TD>Yang Ping
</TD><TD>Yin Shang
</TD><TD>Yin Qu
</TD><TD>Yang Qu
</TD><TD>Yin Ru
</TD><TD>Yang Ru
</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>陰平
</TD><TD>陽平
</TD><TD>陰上
</TD><TD>陰去
</TD><TD>陽去
</TD><TD>陰入
</TD><TD>陽入
</TD></TR>
<TR><TD>44
</TD><TD>24
</TD><TD>52
</TD><TD>412
</TD><TD>31
</TD><TD>4
</TD><TD>23
</TD></TR>
</TABLE>

In Suzhou, part of the Middle Chinese Shang tone characters has merged with the modern yin qu tone.

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Romanization

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