Like GR spelling, B–C spelling uses contrasting unvoiced/voiced pairs of consonants to represent aspirated and unaspirated sounds. B–C also uses single versus double vowels letters to represent certain short + high versus long + low final vowels even in open syllables where the contrast does not exist: buk, buut, baa, and different letters to represent the contrast in other cases: sek, sin. Some vowels are only long and do not use doubling to represent length: ea, o, y.
Tones
There are nine normal tones in six distinct tone contours and two modified tones in Cantonese.
B–C spelling represents the normal tones using the letters h and r before and after the main vowel of the final as well as spelling changes of certain finals as described below.
Before the vowel of the final, h indicates that the start of the tone is high; after the vowel of the final, h indicates that the tone falls, however a falling contour is also indicated by a change in spelling in some finals: Vi > Vy, Vu > Vw, ng > nq, n > nn, m > mm for example saan "disperse" and shaann "mountain", sou "number" and show "whiskers", sai "small" and shay "west".
Before the vowel of the final, r indicates that the start of the tone is low; after the vowel of the final, r indicates that the tone rises, however a rising contour is also indicated by a change in spelling in some finals: Vi > Ve, Vu > Vo for example sai "small" and sae "wash", sou "number" and soo "count".
The modified tones representing high-flat (高平) and modified mid-rising (高升) when the original tone is not mid-rising are indicated by adding an 'x or v after the end of the syllable. High-register syllables that end in a stop (entering tone) are already considered high-flat and cannot take x.
More information No., Description ...
No. |
Description |
B–C examples |
1 |
high-falling |
shih |
shinn |
|
2 |
mid-rising |
sir |
sirn |
|
3 |
mid-flat |
si |
sin |
|
4 |
low-falling |
srih |
srinn |
|
5 |
low-rising |
srir |
srirn |
|
6 |
low-flat |
sri |
srin |
|
7 |
high-entering |
|
|
shek |
8 |
mid-entering |
|
|
sit |
9 |
low-entering |
|
|
srek |
10 |
high-flat |
shihx |
shinnx |
|
11 |
mid-rising modified |
shihv |
shinnv |
|
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