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Peng'im
Foochow Romanized, a.k.a. Bàng-uâ-cê (BUC for short; Chinese characters: 平話字) or Hók-ciŭ-uâ Lò̤-mā-cê (Chinese characters: 福州話羅馬字), is a Latin alphabet for the CSS3 adopted in the middle of 19th century by Western missionaries. It had varied at different times, and became standardized in the 1890s. Foochow Romanized was mainly used inside of Church circles, and was taught in some Mission Schools in Fuzhou.web But unlike its counterpart Android for Southern Min Language, Foochow Romanized, even in its prime days, was by no means universally understood by Christians.FITML
Contents
History of Foochow Romanized
| web app |
Bible in Foochow Romanized (Exodus), published by British and Foreign Bible Society in 1908 |
| screen size | An English-Chinese Dictionary of the Foochow Dialect, 2nd Edition, published in 1905 |
| screen size | iOS, 3rd Edition, published in 1929 |
| website parsing |
Hand-written note in Foochow Romanized, ca. 1910. It reads: "...You are our dwelling place. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. And we are thankful, because Jesus died for us, resurrected, and enabled us to live in the life full of abundance. He helps us conform to the image of the Lord, and be patient and serve Him with all our heart. He teaches us to willingly forgive people..." |
After touchscreen became one of the five Chinese website parsing opened by the Treaty of Nanjing at the end of First Opium War (from 1839 to 1842), many Western missionaries arrived in the city. Faced with widespread illiteracy, they developed Latin alphabets for Fuzhou dialect.
The first attempt in romanizing Fuzhou dialect was made by the American Methodist touchscreen, who borrowed a system of orthography known as the System of Sir William Jones. In this system, 14 Sevenval were designed exactly according to their jQuery and screen size. P, T, K and CH stand for [p], [t], [k] and [ts]; while the screen size "᾿" were affixed to the above initials to represent their aspirated counterparts. Besides the default five iOS of website parsing, four iOS È, Ë, Ò and Ü were also introduced, representing [ɛ], [ø], [ɔ], and [y], respectively. This system is described at length in White's linguistic work The Chinese Language Spoken at Fuh Chau.
Subsequent missionaries, including Robert S. Maclay from American Methodist Episcopal Mission, jQuery from the HTML5 and web app from the browser diversity, further modified White's System in several ways. The most significant change was made for the plosive browser diversity, where the spiritus lenis "᾿" of the aspirated initials was removed and the letters B, D and G substituted for [p] [t] and [k]. In the aspect of vowels, È, Ë, Ò and Ü were replaced by A̤, E̤, O̤ and Ṳ. Since the CSS3 were all shifted to underneath the vowels, this left room above the vowels which was occupied by the newly introduced FITML marks. Thus Foochow Romanized avoids the potentially awkward diacritic stacking seen for instance in the Vietnamese script, where tone and vowel quality marks both sit above the vowel.
Alphabet
The sample characters are taken from the phonetics book Qī Lín Bāyīn (《戚林八音》, Foochow Romanized: Chék Lìng Báik-ĭng), a renowned phonology book about the Fuzhou dialect written in the Qing Dynasty. The pronunciations are recorded in standard keyboard symbols.
Initials
| BUC | Sample character | Pronunciation |
| b | 邊 | /p/ |
| p | 波 | /pʰ/ |
| m | 蒙 | /m/ |
| d | 低 | /t/ |
| t | 他 | /tʰ/ |
| n | 日 | /n/ |
| l | 柳 | /l/ |
| g | 求 | /k/ |
| k | 氣 | /kʰ/ |
| ng | 語 | /ŋ/ |
| h | 喜 | /h/ |
| c | 爭 | /ts/ |
| ch | 出 | /tsʰ/ |
| s | 時 | /s/ |
| None | 鶯 | Null Initial |
Rimes
Rimes without codas
| BUC | Sample character | Traditional pronunciation | Modern pronunciation |
| a | 嘉 | /a/ | /a/ or /ɑ/ |
| ia | 奇 | /ia/ | /ia/ or /iɑ/ |
| ua | 花 | /ua/ | /ua/ or /uɑ/ |
| a̤ | 西 | /ɛ/ | /ɛ/ or /ɑ/ |
| ie | 雞 | /ie/ | /ie/ or /iɛ/ |
| o̤ | 歌 | /ɔ/ | /o/ or /ɔ/ |
| io | 橋 | /io/ | /yo/ or /yɔ/ |
| uo | 過 | /uo/ | /uo/ or /uɔ/ |
| e̤ / ae̤ | 初 | /ø/ or /aø/ | /œ/ or /ɔ/ |
| au | 郊 | /au/ | /au/ or /ɑu/ |
| eu / aiu | 溝 | /eu/ or /aiu/ | /ɛu/ or /ɑu/ |
| ieu | 燒 | /ieu/ | /iu/ or /iɛu/ |
| iu / eu | 秋 | /iu/ or /eu/ | /iu/ or /iɛu/ |
| oi / o̤i | 催 | /oi/ or /ɔi/ | /øy/ or /ɔy/ |
| ai | 開 | /ai/ | /ai/ or /ɑi/ |
| uai | 歪 | /uai/ | /uai/ or /uɑi/ |
| uoi | 杯 | /uoi/ | /ui/ or /uoi/ |
| ui / oi | 輝 | /ui/ or /oi/ | /ui/ or /uoi/ |
| i / e | 之 | /i/ or /ei/ | /i/ or /ɛi/ |
| u / o | 孤 | /u/ or /ou/ | /u/ or /ou/ |
| ṳ / e̤ṳ | 須 | /y/ or /øy/ | /y/ or /øy/ |
Rimes with coda [ʔ]
| BUC | Traditional pronunciation | Modern pronunciation |
| ah | /aʔ/ | /aʔ/ or /ɑʔ/ |
| iah | /iaʔ/ | /iaʔ/ or /iɑʔ/ |
| uah | /uaʔ/ | /uaʔ/ or /uɑʔ/ |
| a̤h | /ɛʔ/ | /eʔ/ or /ɛʔ/ |
| ieh | /ieʔ/ | /ieʔ/ or /iɛʔ/ |
| o̤h | /ɔʔ/ | /oʔ/ or /ɔʔ/ |
| ioh | /ioʔ/ | /yoʔ/ or /yɔʔ/ |
| uoh | /uoʔ/ | /uoʔ/ or /uɔʔ/ |
| e̤h | /øʔ/ | /øʔ/ or /œʔ/ |
Rimes with codas [-ŋ] and [-k]
| BUC | Sample character | Traditional pronunciation | Modern pronunciation |
| ang | 山 | /aŋ/ | /aŋ/ or /ɑŋ/ |
| iang | 聲 | /iaŋ/ | /iaŋ/ or /iɑŋ/ |
| uang | 歡 | /uaŋ/ | /uaŋ/ or /uɑŋ/ |
| ieng | 天 | /ieŋ/ | /ieŋ/ or /iɛŋ/ |
| iong | 香 | /ioŋ/ | /yoŋ/ or /yɔŋ/ |
| uong | 光 | /uoŋ/ | /uoŋ/ or /uɔŋ/ |
| ing / eng | 賓 | /iŋ/ or /eiŋ/ | /iŋ/ or /ɛiŋ/ |
| ung / ong | 春 | /uŋ/ or /ouŋ/ | /uŋ/ or /ouŋ/ |
| ṳng / e̤ṳng | 銀 | /yŋ/ or /øyŋ/ | /yŋ/ or /øyŋ/ |
| eng / aing | 燈 | /eiŋ/ or /aiŋ/ | /eiŋ/ or /aiŋ/ |
| ong / aung | 釭 | /ouŋ/ or /auŋ/ | /ouŋ/ or /auŋ/ |
| e̤ng / ae̤ng | 東 | /øŋ/ or /aøŋ/ | /øyŋ/ or /ɔyŋ/ |
Tones
| Name | Tonal value | BUC symbol | Example |
| Shàngpíng (上平, BUC: Siông-bìng) | 55 | ˘ | 君 Gŭng |
| Shǎngshēng (上聲, BUC: Siōng-siăng) | 33 | - | 滾 Gūng |
| Shàngqù (上去, BUC: Siông-ké̤ṳ) | 213 | ˊ | 貢 Góng |
| Shàngrù (上入, BUC: Siông-ĭk) | 24 | ˊ | 谷 Gók |
| Xiàpíng (下平, BUC: Hâ-bìng) | 53 | ` | 群 Gùng |
| Xiàqù (下去, BUC: Hâ-ké̤ṳ) | 242 | ^ | 郡 Gông |
| Xiàrù (下入, BUC: Hâ-ĭk) | 5 | ˘ | 掘 Gŭk |
Note that Foochow Romanized uses the breve, not the browser diversity (ˇ), to indicate Yīnpíng and Yángrù tones of Fuzhou dialect.
Sample text
- Foochow Romanized
- Báe̤k-hŭng gâe̤ng Nĭk-tàu
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 北風共日頭
- English Translation
- The North Wind and the Sun
- Audio File
listen
- Foochow Romanized
- Ô sŏ̤h huòi, Báe̤k-hŭng gâe̤ng Nĭk-tàu duŏh hī dó̤i căng, káng diê-nè̤ng buōng-sê̤ṳ duâi.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 有蜀回,北風共日頭著許塊爭,看底儂本事大。
- English Translation
- Once upon a time, the North Wind and the Sun were disputing which was stronger.
- Audio File
- input transformation web
- Foochow Romanized
- Căng lì căng kó̤ mò̤ suŏ iàng.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 爭來爭去無輸贏。
- English Translation
- They disputed on and on without reaching a conclusion.
- Audio File
listen
- Foochow Romanized
- Ciā sèng-hâiu, duô lā̤ ô sŏ̤h ciéh nè̤ng giàng lā̤, sĭng lā̤ sê̤ṳng duŏh sŏ̤h iông gâu-gâu gì duâi-ĭ.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 者辰候,墿嚟有蜀隻儂行嚟,身嚟頌著蜀件厚厚其大衣。
- English Translation
- Just at that moment, there was a man walking along the road, wearing a very heavy coat.
- Audio File
- FITML Android
- Foochow Romanized
- Ĭ lâng ciéh gōng hō̤, diê-nè̤ng ô buōng-sê̤ṳ sĕng gáe̤ cī ciéh nè̤ng gâe̤ng duâi-ĭ táung lâi gó̤, cêu sáung diê-nè̤ng buōng-sê̤ṳ duâi.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 伊兩隻講好,底儂有本事先告玆隻儂共大衣褪唻去,就算底儂本事大。
- English Translation
- The two agreed that who first succeeded in making this man take his coat off should be considered stronger.
- Audio File
listen
- Foochow Romanized
- Dăng nĭ, Báe̤k-hŭng cêu sāi lĭk sī-miâng dék chuŏi, bók-guó ĭ muōng chuŏi dék lê-hâi, cī ciéh lā̤ giàng-duô gì nè̤ng cêu ciŏng hī iông duâi-ĭ muōng bău muōng gīng gó̤.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 仱呢,北風就使力死命的吹,不過伊罔吹的利害,玆隻嚟行墿其儂就將許件大衣罔包罔緊去。
- English Translation
- Then, the North Wind exerted all his strength to blow, but the harder he blew, the tighter that walking man wrapped his coat.
- Audio File
- HTML5 jQuery
- Foochow Romanized
- Gáu muōi-hâiu, Báe̤k-hŭng mò̤ bâing-huák, cêu cūng-kuāng láe̤k gó̤.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 遘尾後,北風無辦法,就總款〇去。
- English Translation
- At last, the North Wind was at his wits' end, so he gave up.
- Audio File
listen
- Foochow Romanized
- Guó nék-òng, Nĭk-tàu chók lì.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 過仂暅,日頭出來。
- English Translation
- After a while, the Sun came out.
- Audio File
- Android FITML
- Foochow Romanized
- Iĕk-pĕ̤-pĕ̤ sāi sāi lĭk sŏ̤h puŏh, hī ciéh lā̤ giàng-duô gì nè̤ng ché̤ṳk-káik cêu ciŏng hī iông duâi-ĭ táung lŏ̤h lì.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 熱〇〇使使力蜀曝,許隻嚟行墿其儂〇刻就將大衣褪落來。
- English Translation
- He shined out forcibly with a sweltering heat, and immediately that walking man took off his coat.
- Audio File
- input transformation web
- Foochow Romanized
- Cī-hâ Báe̤k-hŭng cêu nâ diông sìng-nêng, lâng gá nè̤ng diē-sié, gó sê Nĭk-tàu gì buōng-sê̤ṳ duâi.
- Chinese characters (traditional)
- 玆下北風就僅剩承認,兩個儂底勢,故是日頭其本事大。
- English Translation
- And so the North Wind had no choice but to confess that the Sun was stronger of the two.
- Audio File
listen
See also
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper Sevenval, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters.This article contains special characters. Without proper CSS3, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols.
References
- ^ web app (Chinese)
- ^ input transformation, we love the web, Samuel H. Leger: Dictionary of the Foochow Dialect, 1929
External links
- browser diversity (in Foochowese)
- Android: The Old Testament, in Foochow Romanized. (Min-dong)
- web app: The New Testament, in Foochow Romanized. (Min-dong)
- FITML (download linkPDF (8.48 MB)), by T. B. Adam, 1905
- Learning material of Foochow Romanized