Proper Cantonese pronunciation
Encyclopedia
- JyutpingJyutpingJyutping is a romanization system for Cantonese developed by the Linguistic Society of Hong Kong in 1993. Its formal name is The Linguistic Society of Hong Kong Cantonese Romanization Scheme...
is used as the pronunciation guide in this article
From the 1980s onwards, the proper Cantonese pronunciation has been much promoted in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, with the scholar Richard Ho Man Wui as the iconic campaigner. The very idea of "proper" pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
of Cantonese
Standard Cantonese
Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....
is controversial, as there is no such a thing as "mispronunciation" in descriptive linguistics.
Origins and influences
The promotion of "proper" Cantonese pronunciation is partly a reaction to the so-called "lazy sound" (懶音 laan5 jam1) adopted by the younger generations. The "lazy" pronunciations, or sound changeSound change
Sound change includes any processes of language change that affect pronunciation or sound system structures...
s include:
- merge of initial n- and l-, for example, reading 男 (naam4) as 藍 (laam4)
- merge of initial ng- and dark-toned null/glottal onsets, for example, reading 愛 (oi3) as ngoi3
- loss of initial ng- on light-toned words, for example, reading 我 (ngo5) as o5
- omission of the labialisationLabialisationLabialization is a secondary articulatory feature of sounds in some languages. Labialized sounds involve the lips while the remainder of the oral cavity produces another sound. The term is normally restricted to consonants. When vowels involve the lips, they are called rounded.The most common...
-w- of gw- or kw-, for example, reading 國 (gwok3) as 角 (gok3) - confusing the final consonants -k and -t, for example, reading 塞 (sak1) as sat1.
- confusing the final consonants -n and -ng, for example, reading 冷 (laang5) as 懶 (laan5)
- confusing the vowelized consonants m and ng, for example, reading 吳 (ng4) as 唔 (m)
TV and radio programs, including game shows, have been made to promote the proper pronunciation. The campaign has also influenced the local media. Some news reporters and masters of ceremonies in Hong Kong have adopted the "proper" pronunciations.
Arguments
The "proper" readings promoted by Richard Ho are based on the fanqieFanqiè
In Chinese phonology, fanqie is a method to indicate the pronunciation of a character by using two other characters.-The Origin:...
spelling of Guangyun
Guangyun
The Guangyun is a Chinese rime dictionary that was compiled from 1007 to 1008 under the auspices of Emperor Zhenzong of Song. Chen Pengnian and Qiu Yong were the chief editors....
, an ancient rime dictionary
Rime dictionary
thumb|upright=1.0|A page from Shiyun Hebi , a rime dictionary of the [[Qing Dynasty]]A rime dictionary, rhyme dictionary, or rime book is an ancient type of Chinese dictionary used for writing poetry or other genres requiring rhymes. A rime dictionary focuses on pronunciation and collates...
reflecting the sounds of Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese , also called Ancient Chinese by the linguist Bernhard Karlgren, refers to the Chinese language spoken during Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Sui, Tang, and Song dynasties...
. Ho holds that, Cantonese phonology being the descendant of the Guangyun system, there are highly regular correspondences between the sounds of Middle Chinese and those of Cantonese. He also holds that the "flat" (平) and "sharp" (仄) tonal distinction in Middle Chinese is the most important feature from which Cantonese should not deviate, especially when reciting ancient literature (Ho 1995:151). He allows exceptions in some cases of colloquial speech, but not in any cases in reading ancient literature (ibid. 152).
Ho's approach to pronunciation is prescriptive
Linguistic prescription
In linguistics, prescription denotes normative practices on such aspects of language use as spelling, grammar, pronunciation, and syntax. It includes judgments on what usages are socially proper and politically correct...
. For instance, talking about the "wrong" pronunciation of final consonants of the youth, he says:
He expresses his attitude towards sound changes, when talking about the gradual merge of [n-] and [l-] initials in Cantonese:
A major critic of Ho's approach is Wang Tingzhi (王亭之), pen name of Tan Xiyong (談錫永). He calls Ho's prescriptive pronunciations "demonic". One of his concerns is that Cantonese comprises six historical strata, not just the one represented by the Guangyun. (Wang 2005)
See also
- A Chinese Syllabary Pronounced according to the Dialect of CantonA Chinese Syllabary Pronounced According to the Dialect of CantonA Chinese Syllabary Pronounced According to the Dialect of Canton is a book written by Wong Shik Ling within a few years before being published in Hong Kong, 1941. It is one of the most influential books on the research of Cantonese pronunciation...
http://arts.cuhk.edu.hk/Lexis/Canton/ by Wong Shik LingWong Shik LingWong Shik Ling was a prominent scholar in Cantonese research. He is famous for his authoritative book, A Chinese Syllabary Pronounced According to the Dialect of Canton , which is influential in Cantonese research.He graduated from Lingnan University, Guangzhou and then taught and researched...
, a pronunciation guide of Cantonese championed by Richard Ho