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. The Cantonese high and low pitch registers are indicated by inserting
-h- or
-r- after the initial:
bhat,
brat. Medium pitch register has no insert, and is considered the basic form:
baa.
Basic forms The following two tables list the B–C spellings of initials and finals with their corresponding IPA values.
Initials Finals • The finals
m and
ng can only be used as standalone
nasal syllables.
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.
Examples == References ==