|
Lesson 5 - Syllable structure
in English and Chinese
Words are made up of syllables;
the center of a syllable is a vowel, e.g., /aɪ/
as in "I"; or /maɪ/
as in "my". One of the differences between Cantonese and English
is the structure of a syllable. English has far more consonants around
the central vowels than Chinese.
| English |
Cantonese |
|
screamed
|
/skriːmd/(CCCVCC) |
country |
/gwok/( )(CCVC) |
|
grasps
|
/grɑːsps/(CCVCCC) |
language |
/mahn/( )(CVC) |
|
asked
|
/ɑːskt/(VCCC) |
good |
/hóu/( )(CV) |
|
grumbled
|
/grʌmbəld/(CCVCCVCC) |
house |
/ūk/( )(VC) |
Consonant values
Final consonants
have different values in different languages. Compare the final consonants
in these words:
- in the English
word "but" and the Cantonese word for a pen "bāt"
(
 )
- in the English
word "lock" and the Cantonese for fall down/get down "lohk"
(
 )
- in the English
word “cup” and the Cantonese for class as in 1st year class
" yāt nɪ̀hn
kāp"(
 )
As soon as we understand the difference
in the way the final sound is pronounced in each language, it is easy
to understand why Cantonese speakers may not hear English endings, so
do not say them and then do not write them.
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