Chinese vowel diagram

Standard Chinese vowels (with IPA and Pinyin)

A Chinese vowel diagram or Chinese vowel chart is a schematic arrangement of the vowels of the Chinese language, which usually refers to Standard Chinese. The earliest known Chinese vowel diagrams were made public in 1920 by Chinese linguist Yi Tso-lin with the publication of his Lectures on Chinese Phonetics, three years after Daniel Jones published the famous "cardinal vowel diagram" in 1917. Yi Tso-lin refers to those diagrams as "(simple/compound) rhyme composition charts [/]", which are diagrams depicting Chinese monophthongs and diphthongs. Unlike the trapezoidal English vowel diagram (right), the Chinese vowel diagram (left) is triangular. The phonetic symbols used in this diagram are known as the "National Phonetic Alphabet []" or "National Phonetic Symbols []" or simply "Bopomofo". Six vowels or monophthongs (simple rhyme or ) are depicted in this diagram. They are:

(IPA [i]), as in (, easy) (IPA [u]), as in (, fog) (IPA []), as in (, two) (IPA [o]), as in (, broken) (IPA []), as in (, hungry) (IPA [a]), as in (, fear)

Note that this chart utilizes four degrees of vowel height (closed, half-closed, half-open, open), three degrees of vowel backness (front, central, back), and three degrees of vowel roundedness (spread, natural, round). The placement of ([]) may be questionable, but all other vowels are generally speaking where they ought to be.

Chinese vowel diagram for monophthongs

Chinese vowel diagram for falling diphthongs

Chinese vowel diagram for rising diphthongs

The same vowel chart is used to depict diphthongs (compound rhyme or ), with an arrow indicating the starting position and ending position of each diphthong. Six falling diphthongs are depicted in the following diagram. They are

(IPA [y]), as in (, jade) (IPA []), as in (, night) (IPA [ ]), as in (, tired) (IPA [ ]), as in (, bean) (IPA [ ]), as in (, belt) (IPA [ ]), as in (, way)

The reason why apparent monophthongs [y] and [] are included in this chart is purely phonological and historical. According to this theory, those two vowels are really diphthongs, i.e. [ ] and [ ]. Even so, those vowels should be considered "rising diphthongs" on a par with those in the next diagram. The next diagram depicts four rising diphthongs, as follows:

(IPA [ ]), as in (, an interjection) (IPA [ ]), as in (, lie) (IPA [ ]), as in (, Asia) (IPA [ ]), as in (, socks)

The exact number of vowels in Standard Chinese may vary depending on the phonological theory and methodology. The National Phonetic Alphabet adopted in 1913 has special symbols for eight apparent monophthongs, i.e. (IPA [a]), (IPA [o]), (IPA []), (IPA [i]), (IPA [u]), (IPA [y]), (IPA []), (IPA []). The National Romanization (or Gwoyeu Romatzyh) adopted in 1928 recognizes nine vowels, i.e. a (IPA [a]), o (IPA [o]), e (IPA []), i (IPA [i]), u (IPA [u]), iu (IPA [y]), (IPA []), el (IPA []), y (IPA []). The additional vowel y (IPA []) is not spelled out in National Phonetic Alphabet. It represents two varieties of "apical vowels", often represented as [] and [] by sinologists, that appear after apical dental and retroflex fricatives/affricates. Notice that those two IPA symbols are now considered Obsolete and nonstandard symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet. The Hanyu Pinyin system adopted in 1958 also recognizes nine vowels, i.e.

a (IPA [a]), o (IPA [o]), e (IPA []), i (IPA [i]), u (IPA [u]), (IPA [y]), (IPA []), er (IPA []), i (IPA []).

Given the fact that Gwoyeu Romatzyh and Pinyin have both been adopted by Chinese governments and that Pinyin is currently the international standard for Chinese romanization, it is reasonable to propose a Mandarin vowel diagram with the nine officially recognized vowels, as shown on the right.

References
Yi Tso-lin (1920). Lectures on Chinese Phonetics [] . Commercial Press. Shanghai.

Obsolete and nonstandard symbols in the International Phonetic Alphabet

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) possess a variety of obsolete and nonstandard symbols. Throughout the history of the IPA, characters representing phonetic values have been modified or completely replaced. An example is for standard [ ]. Several symbols indicating secondary articulation have been dropped altogether, with the idea that such things should be indicated with diacritics: for is one. In addition, the rare voiceless implosive series has been dropped. Other characters have been added in for specific phonemes which do not possess a specific symbol in the IPA. Those studying modern Chinese phonology have used to represent [ ], a vowel which represents the i in hanzi (see Pinyin). There are also unsupported symbols from local traditions that find their way into publications that otherwise use the standard IPA. This is especially common with affricates such as , and many Americanist symbols. While the IPA does not itself have a set of capital letters (the ones that look like capitals are actually small capitals), many languages have adopted symbols from the IPA as part of their orthographies, and in such cases they have invented capital variants of these. This is especially common in Africa. An example is Kabiy of northern Togo, which has (capital ). Other pseudo-IPA capitals supported by Unicode are / / / . (See Case variants of IPA letters.) Capital letters are also used as cover symbols in phonotactic descriptions: C=Consonant, V=Vowel, etc. This list does not include commonplace extensions of the IPA, such as doubling a symbol for a greater degree of a feature ([ ] extra-long [a], [ ] extra stress, [k] strongly aspirated [k], and [ ] extra-rhotic [a]), nor superscripting for a lesser degree of a feature ([] slightly prenasalized [], [s] slightly affricated [s], and [] epenthetic schwa). The asterisk, as in [k*] for the fortis stop of Korean, is the convention the IPA uses when it has no symbol for a phone or feature. For symbols and values which were discarded by 1932, see History of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Symbol or exemplar ? Name question mark Value IPA equivalent [] [ , ] Notes

glottal stop labialized voiced alveoloturned small delta dental fricative labialized voiceless alveolosmall sigma dental fricative labialized voiced postalveolar ezh with tail fricative reversed esh with labialized voiceless top loop postalveolar fricative barred two voiced alveolar affricate rotated epiglottal voiceless alveolar affricate plosive

[ , s ] [ ] [ ] [ ] [ s] withdrawn 1976 withdrawn 1976

Symbol or exemplar

Name

Value

IPA equivalent [m, n, ]

Notes withdrawn 1976

right-leg N (Latin moraic ("syllabic") nasal eta) letters with left palatalization hook voiced alveolo-palatal(ized) curly-tail ezh fricative voiceless alveolo curly-tail esh palatal(ized) fricative voiced alveolar lateral lambda affricate voiceless alveolar lateral lambda bar affricate voiceless alveolar lateral l bar fricative , , s c z with caron j, g, ezh with caron x with dot baby gamma postalveolars voiced postalveolar affricate voiceless uvular fricative close-mid back unrounded vowel

[b f k l m superseded 1989 p n r s v x ] [] or [] [] or [] [ [ ] [] [], [ ], [] [ ] [] [] ] withdrawn 1989 withdrawn 1989 Used by Americanists Used by Americanists Used by Americanists Used by Americanists, Slavicists Used by Americanists, Slavicists etc. Used by Americanists rejected 1989; Unicode LATIN SMALL LETTER RAMS HORN (U+0264) represents either glyph used by the OED among others used by some Koreanologists who study Gyeongsang dialect, where there is no phonemic differentiation between // (RR eo; Hangul ) and // (RR eu; Hangul ).[citation
needed]

barred small near-close central unrounded / [ / ] capital I / upsilon rounded vowel

small capital turned E

close-mid near-back unrounded vowel

[]

closed epsilon closed omega omega dotless small i

open-mid central rounded vowel near-close near-back rounded vowel near-close near-back unrounded vowel near-close near-front unrounded vowel voiceless and voiced labiodental plosive

[] [ ] [ ] [] [p b]

a misprint of rejected 1989 Made by analogy to and from or symbol. a mistake used in Africanist linguistics Usually used in phonology to mean "no sound values." However, in Chinese linguistics, some scholars considered it as "weak" glottal stop or something

or

slashed 0 or uppercase slashed null initial O

Symbol or exemplar

Name

Value

IPA equivalent

Notes similar as sound value of the "existent" first consonant of syllables started by a vowel (e.g. n in Tin'nmn), and this opinion can be connected with (ieung) in hangul. can be confusing with close-mid front rounded vowel [].

hooktop P, T, C, K, Q turned T stretched C inverted glottal stop turned K small iota long-leg R

voiceless implosives dental click alveolar click alveolar lateral click velar click

[ [] [] []

withdrawn in 1993 superseded 1989; see click letters. superseded 1989; see click letters. superseded 1989; see click letters. Proposed symbol withdrawn 1970; articulation judged impossible[1] rejected 1989 withdrawn 1989 The standard Unicode Basic Latin/ASCII lower-case g (U+0067) may have a "looptail g" glyph; the preferred IPA "open-tail g" (U+0261) is in the IPA Extensions Unicode block a mistake in either case

near-close near-front [] unrounded vowel voiced strident apico-alveolar [r] trill (Czech )

looptail g

voiced velar plosive

[]

ou reversed or Cyrillic ya

close-mid back unrounded vowel or voiced velar fricative voiced epiglottal trill

[] or [] []

reversed fishhook apical dental unrounded R / turned iota vowel squat reversed esh (actually with retroflex tail) turned h with fishhook turned h with fishhook and tail small capital A small capital A apical retroflex unrounded vowel apical dental rounded vowel apical retroflex rounded vowel open central vowel open back unrounded vowel

used by Sinologists, and by [], or [ ] when a Japanologists studying the fricative phonology of the Miyako language [], or [ ] when used by Sinologists. See a fricative Chinese vowels [ ], or [ ] when used by Sinologists a fricative [ ], or [ ] used by Sinologists when a fricative any of [ ] used by Sinologists [ ] superseded 1900

Symbol or exemplar G R etc.

Name small capital E uppercase letters

Value mid front unrounded vowel

IPA equivalent [ ] or [] [ ] etc.

Notes used by Sinologists and some Koreanologists Uppercase alternatives to symbols shaped like small capitals Used in Japanese phonology to represent the Sokuon. Also sometimes used to represent a pharyngeal stop.

small capital Q

gemination Voiceless lateral fricatives (retroflex, palatal and velar) Retroflex lateral flap ("retroflex" or r-colored vowels) alveolo-palatal no audible release labialization fortis lower-pitched rising / falling tone contour

[kk tt] or [k ] etc. [ [] [ ] etc. [ n l] [k], etc. [k ] etc. [k p ], etc. ]

belted

etc.

underdot

etc. or curl or circumflex n l etc. k', etc. k etc. subscript w uppercase letters K P T etc. (not small capitals) / etc.

used by Sinologists Withdrawn superseded 1989 used by some Koreanologists

k or k

left quote or reversed comma

"weak" (or sometimes "normal") aspiration

etc. ligatures [p] etc. prime

affricates palatalization

In a language which distinguishes more than one rising or falling tone. First symbol may be left single quotation mark (U+2018) or modifier letter apostrophe (U+02BC); [k t] (sometimes second symbol may be [k ]) single high-reversed-9 quotation mark (U+201B) or modifier letter reversed comma (U+02BD) [s ] etc. Formerly an acceptable or [ s ] variant[2] etc. Traditional in accounts of [p] etc. Irish phonology

The table below shows official IPA symbols not used as the original definition of IPA. c j y It is sometimes used as [ s], [ ] or [ ]. It is sometimes used as [ ] or [ ]. It is sometimes used as [ ]. It is sometimes used as [j]. It is sometimes used as [] or []. It is sometimes used as [] or []. It is sometimes used as [y] or [].

It is frequently used as one of rhotic sounds (including R-colored vowels) or of liquid sounds especially in phonological transcriptions. l It is usually used as one of liquid sounds especially in phonological descriptions. It is frequently used as alternative for [ ] in printing when the distinction between [a] and [ ] is not a used. It is frequently used as alternative for [a] in handwriting when the distinction between [a] and [ ] is not used. k etc. Fortis sounds in Korean used by some Koreanologists. = [k*], etc. above. They are sometimes used as alternative for [], [], [ ] and [ ] respectively especially by some Japanologists and Koreanologists. They are sometimes used as alternative for the unofficial symbols [] and [] respectively especially by some Japanologists and Koreanologists. Ch n in Japanese especially used in some phonologic transcriptions. r

Footnotes
1. ^ An impossible sound 2. ^ Pullum, Geoffrey K.; William A. Ladusaw (1996). Phonetic Symbol Guide (2nd edition ed.). University of Chicago Press. p. 180. ISBN 0-226-68535-7.

See also

Americanist phonetic notation Uralic Phonetic Alphabet