514 
ch 
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az 
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sh 
Ss 
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RESEARCH IN CHINA. 
CONSONANTS. 
Note: The initials, 4, 2,¢c,2, ¢s,and ¢z should not be quite as hard as in English, 
though decidedly harder than g, 4, ¢, d7, and dz. Thus the initial in 
kan, sweet, should hold about the middle between the initials in English 
gone and con. To indicate that 4, f, ¢, ch, ts, and ¢z should be pro- 
nounced as hard as possible an asper is placed after them, which some 
printing offices replace by an apostrophe. Examples: 4az, sweet; #’an,a 
pit; pzzg, soldier; p’émg, even, level; to, many; /o-/’0, a camel; chau, 
morning; ch’au, a dynasty; ¢s¢aw, half-tide rocks; ¢s-’vau, mountainous; 
tz#, purple; ¢z’i-A2, gentle, or motherly, pleasure (principal name of the 
Empress Dowager). 
has the sound of cZ in church, slightly softer when not marked and slightly harder 
when marked by an asper. Examples: chéu, island; ch’éxg, walled city. 
When followed by 7, the vowel disappears in it. See below, Note 2. 
as in English, king, poll, and tall, but slightly softer, and harder when marked by 
an asper. Examples: 4dz, ditch, drain; &’6ug, a pit; paw, a police 
ward; p’u shore, branch of a river; ¢aw, island; ?’ax, a rapid. 
slightly softer than the two consonants would sound in English, and harder when 
provided with an asper. Examples: ¢sé, a pool; ts’un, village. 
similar to ¢s, the vowel disappearing in the sibilant. Examples: ¢z7, son; ¢2’¢ 
a hall. See below, Note 2. 
as in English. Examples: foxg, summit, peak; fez, a mound. 
as in English, or as x in Spanish Xeres, both pronunciations being heard in North 
China. Examples: hung, red; 2ié, a cavern; Aza, a gorge. 
as j in French jeu, and not as in English. Examples: 76”, man; 76, hot. When 
followed by z the vowel disappears in it. See below, Note 2. 
As in English. Examples: /¢zg, a mountain pass, range; mz, rice; zz, mud; an, 
a small temple; £vaz, an inn. 
dental, not gutteral, merely occurs in combination with the vowel ¢, which dis- 
appears in it, so that it is difficult to say whether it is an initial or a final. 
See below, Note 2. Example: #7, two. 
as in English show. Examples: skazg,above. When followed by 7, the vowel 
disappears in it. See below, Note 2. Example: sz, ten. 
is a sharp sibilant, as in English mess, in which the vowel # disappears. Example: 
sst,a monastery. See below, Note 2. 
as in English. Example: waz, gulf, bay. 
a consonant, as in English yard. Examples: yé, wild land; vex, a precipice; ying, 
a military camp; yvéan, an eddy. 
as a final, as ~g in English song. Examples: ¢’¢~g,an inferior prefecture; ¢sézg, 
a well; yang, ocean; Aang, hill, ridge; chung, middle; t’ang, dyke, pool; 
tung, acave. In certain words beginning with a, o, or o, ng is optional as 
an initial, and should not appear in any transcription. Thus an, repose, is 
by some individuals pronounced ngan, for which reason we often read 
St-ngan-fu instead of Sz-an-fu. 
Note 1. The accent in the vocalic combinations 6u, 7é, and w#é, shows which 
of the two vowels is to be intonated foremost; it is otherwise not essential, 
and it must not be mistaken for a word-accent. 
