Fuzhou dialect
Fuzhou dialect (Chinese characters: 福州話, SLC romanization: Hủk Cièu Uâ), also known as Foochowese or Hokchiu, is considered the standard dialect of Min Dong, which is the form of Chinese mainly spoken in the Eastern part of Fujian Province (福建, SLC: Huk Kyŏng). Fuzhou dialect covers eleven cities and counties in all, viz.: Fuzhou (福州, SLC: Hủk Cieu), Pingnan (屏南, SLC: Pĩng Nàng), Gutian (古田, SLC: Khũ Chèing), Luoyuan (羅源, SLC: Lõ Nguòng), Minqing (閩清, SLC: Ming Chiang), Lianjiang (連江, SLC: Lieng Koung), Minhou (閩侯, SLC: Mỉng-Âu), Changle (長樂, SLC: Tuõng Loh), Yongtai (永泰, SLC: Ing Thăi), Fuqing (福清, SLC: Hũk Chiang) and Pingtan (平潭, SLC: Pĩng Thảng).
Initials
There are fifteen onsets (initial consonants) in all:
- Bilabial: 邊 (IPA: [p], SLC: P), 波 (IPA: [p'], SLC: PH), 蒙 (IPA: [m], SLC: M)
- Apical: 低 (IPA: [t], SLC: T), 他 (IPA: [t'], SLC: TH), 日 (IPA: [n], SLC: N), 柳 (IPA: [l], SLC: L)
- Apico-dental: 曾 (IPA: [ts], SLC: C), 出 (IPA: [ts'], SLC: CH), 時 (IPA: [s], SLC: S)
- Radical: 求 (IPA: [k], SLC: K), 氣 (IPA: [k'], SLC: KH), 語 (IPA: [ŋ], SLC: NG), 喜b(IPA: [h], SLC: H)
- Null: 鶯 (IPA: [Φ]; note that this onset does not have a symbol in SLC)
Most Chinese linguists argue that one should describe Fuzhou dialect as possessing a null onset [Φ]. In fact, any character that has a null onset begins with a glottal plosive [ʔ].
In Fuzhou dialect, there are various kinds of onset internal sandhi, situations in which the onset of the first character in a phrase stays unchanged while those of the following characters change according to the preceding sounds.
Rimes
There are totally forty-six rimes:
- Simple Vowels
- 蝦/罷(IPA: [a/ɑ], SLC: A/A)
- 街/細(IPA: [ɛ/a], SLC: E/A)
- 驢/告(IPA: [œ/ɔ], SLC: OE/O)
- 哥/抱(IPA: [o/ɔ], SLC: O/O)
- 喜/氣(IPA: [i/ɛi], SLC: I/EI)
- 苦/怒(IPA: [u/ou], SLC: U/OU)
- 豬/箸(IPA: [y/øy], SLC: Y/OY)
- Compound Vowels
- 寫/夜(IPA: [ia/iɑ], SLC: IA/IA)
- 雞/毅(IPA: [ie/iɛ], SLC: IE/IE)
- 秋/笑(IPA: [iu/ieu], SLC: IEU/IEU)
- 花/話(IPA: [ua/uɑ], SLC: UA/UA)
- 科/課(IPA: [uo/uɔ], SLC: UO/UO)
- 橋/銳(IPA: [yo/yɔ], SLC: YO/YO)
- 紙/再(IPA: [ai/ɑi], SLC: AI/AI)
- 郊/校(IPA: [au/ɑu], SLC: AU/AU)
- 溝/構(IPA: [ɛu/ɑu], SLC: EU/AU)
- 催/罪(IPA: [øy/ɔy], SLC: OY/AY)
- 我/怪(IPA: [uai/uɑi], SLC: UAI/UAI)
- 杯/歲(IPA: [ui/uoi], SLC: UOI/UOI)
- Nasal Codas [-ŋ]
- 三/汗(IPA: [aŋ/ɑŋ], SLC: ANG/ANG)
- 人/任(IPA: [iŋ/ɛiŋ], SLC: ING/EING)
- 春/鳳(IPA: [uŋ/ouŋ], SLC: UNG/OUNG)
- 銀/頌(IPA: [yŋ/øyŋ], SLC: YNG/OYNG)
- 驚/命(IPA: [iaŋ/iɑŋ], SLC: IANG/IANG)
- 天/見(IPA: [ieŋ/iɛŋ], SLC: IENG/IENG)
- 歡/換(IPA: [uaŋ/uɑŋ], SLC: UANG/UANG)
- 王/象(IPA: [uoŋ/uɔŋ], SLC: UONG/UONG)
- 鄉/樣(IPA: [yoŋ/yɔŋ], SLC: YONG/YONG)
- 恒/硬(IPA: [ɛiŋ/aiŋ], SLC: EING/AING)
- 湯/寸(IPA: [ouŋ/ɔuŋ], SLC: OUNG/AUNG)
- 桶/洞(IPA: [øyŋ/ɔyŋ], SLC: OYNG/AYNG)
- Glottal Codas [-ʔ]
- 盒/鴨(IPA: [aʔ/ɑʔ], SLC: AH/AK)
- 扔/嗝(IPA: [øʔ/œʔ], SLC: OEH/OEK)
- 漬/咩(IPA: [eʔ/ɛʔ], SLC: EH/EK)
- 樂/閣(IPA: [oʔ/ɔʔ], SLC: OH/OK)
- 力/乙(IPA: [iʔ/ɛiʔ], SLC: IH/EIK)
- 勿/福(IPA: [uʔ/ouʔ], SLC: UH/OUK)
- 肉/竹(IPA: [yʔ/øyʔ], SLC: YH/OYK)
- 擲/察(IPA: [iaʔ/iɑʔ], SLC: IAH/IAK)
- 熱/鐵(IPA: [ieʔ/iɛʔ], SLC: IEH/IEK)
- 活/法(IPA: [uaʔ/uɑʔ], SLC: UAH/UAK)
- 月/郭(IPA: [uoʔ/uɔʔ], SLC: UOH/UOK)
- 藥/弱(IPA: [yoʔ/yɔʔ], SLC: YOH/YOK)
- 賊/黑(IPA: [ɛiʔ/aiʔ], SLC: EIH/AIK)
- 學/骨(IPA: [ouʔ/ɔuʔ], SLC: OUH/AUK)
- 讀/角(IPA: [øyʔ/ɔyʔ], SLC: OYH/AYK)
Tones
There are seven original tones in Fuzhou dialect, which reserves the tonal system of Middle Chinese:
| Name | SLC Name | Tonal Value | Description | Example |
| 陰平 | Ing Pìng | 55 | high level | 溫 Ung |
| 陽平 | Yõng pìng | 53 | high falling | 玄 Hièng |
| 上聲 | Suong sing | 33 | middle level | 底 Tẽ |
| 陰去 | Ìng khŏy | 212 | low falling and rising | 問 Muŏng |
| 陽去 | Yỏng khŏy | 242 | middle rising and falling | 重 Tâyng |
| 陰入 | Ing ih | 24 | middle rising stopped | 急 Kéik |
| 陽入 | Yõng ih | 5 | high level stopped | 奪 Touh |
Besides those seven tones listed above, two new tonal values, puăng ìng khŏy{半陰去) 21 and puàng yỏng khŏy (半陽去) 35 also exist in tonal sandhi. The two-character tonal sandhi rules are shown in the table below:
| 陰平55 | 陽平53
陽入5 | 上聲33 | 陰去212
陽去242 陰入24 | |
| 陰平55
陰去212 陽去242 陰入乙24 | 55 | 55 | 53 | 55 |
| 陽平53
陽入5 | 55 | 33 | 33 | 21 |
| 上聲33
陰入甲24 | 21 | 21 | 35 | 55 |
However, the tonal sandhi rules of more than two characters are much more complicated than can be conveniently displayed in a single table.
All nine tonal values in Fuzhou dialect are noted in the SLC writing system, which is convenient for both speakers and researchers to read and write.
| Tonal Value | SLC Denotation | Letters |
| 55 | None | A a O o E e I i U u Y y |
| 53 | ˋ | À à Ò ò È è Ì ì Ù ù Ỳ ỳ |
| 33 | ~ | Ã ã Õ õ Ẽ ẽ Ĩ ĩ Ũ ũ Ỹ ỹ |
| 212 | v | Ă ă Ŏ ŏ Ĕ ĕ |
| 242 | ^ | Â â Ô ô Ê ê |
| 24 | ˊ | Á á Ó ó É é Í í Ú ú Ý ý |
| 5 | None | A a O o E e I i U u Y y |
| 21 | ʔ | Ả ả Ỏ ỏ Ẻ ẻ Ỉ ỉ Ủ ủ Ỷ ỷ |
| 35 | ˊ | Á á Ó ó É é Í í Ú ú Ý ý |
| Chinese: spoken varieties | |
| Categories: |
Gan | Hakka | Hui | Jin | Mandarin | Min | Pinghua | Xiang | Wu | Yue |
| Subcategories of Min: | Min Bei | Min Dong | Min Nan | Min Zhong | Pu Xian | Qiong Wen | Shao Jiang |
| Note: The above is only one classification scheme among many. The categories in italics are not universally acknowledged to be independent categories. | |
| Comprehensive list of Chinese dialects | |
| Official spoken varieties: | Standard Mandarin | Standard Cantonese |
| Historical phonology: | Old Chinese | Middle Chinese | Proto-Min | Proto-Mandarin | Haner |
| Chinese: written varieties | |
| Official written varieties: | Classical Chinese | Vernacular Chinese |
| Other varieties: | Written Vernacular Cantonese |