Handbook of Taiwanese Phonetics: A Tonal Language Based on Do-Re-Mi [Zhuang]

By Chingmuh Lee

Written in Taiwanese (a version of Traditional Chinese with distinct phonetics) are "The phonetics of Taiwanese" and this companion Handbook. Phonetically, it is a miracle that the entire spoken Taiwanese is based on three level tones, like do-re-mi. As singing is one level tone following another, and tonal language like Chinese has only one level tone, Taiwanese must be the most tonal and musical of all languages. Taiwanese has been hard to grasp because the words change tone as the language is spoken. No more, once the tones are aligned according to pitch, the Taiwanese sandhi becomes simply a "circular rotation". Due to its rich tonicity, the Taiwanese phonetic alphabet requires only 24 simple letters. It rhymes beautifully. Further, Taiwanese uses two sounds, e and a, in liaison with words to make grammar. It is a miracle how a three-tone phonetic system speaks beautifully for an advanced culture. Unfortunately, Taiwanese has become endangered under the "National Language" policy that promotes Mandarin Chinese in Taiwan.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: Zhuang
• ISBN: 6269862035
• ISBN13: 9786269862030
• Release Date: September 2024
• Publisher: Bookbaby
• Length: 64 Pages