Re: USAGE: Cantonal spelling

From: "John Cowan"

>First, here's how I'm numbering the tones:
> Tone 1, IPA 55, yin ping tone, reflex of Mandarin tone 1, 7a in ruh
syllables
> Tone 2, IPA 21, yaang ping tone, reflex of Mandarin tone 2
> Tone 3, IPA 35, yin shaangh tone, reflex of Mandarin tone 3
> Tone 4, IPA 13, yaang shaangh tone, reflex of Mandarin tone 3
> Tone 5, IPA 33, yin quh tone, reflex of Mandarin tone 4, 7b in ruh
syllables
> Tone 6, IPA 11, yaang quh tone, reflex of Mandarin tone 4, 8 in ruh
syllables

Just asking: Is there a reason behind this particular ordering? 'Cause it
diverges from the traditional standard:

T1  55
T2  35
T3  33
T4  21
T5  13
T6  11

So when you said * is T3, I automatically balked until I went back and
reviewed your ordering.

I also need to re'cant' (get it? nyuk, nyuk) a statement I made to D Tse
about the Tone 7. It was not Matthews and Yip who used it (they just
describe the 6, discussing the merger of Tones 1 & 7 among most speakers,
which I mentioned in an earielr post), but the website I referred John to.
In the hard copy Lau dictionary I have, he states that for practical
purposes, you can dispense with it, but they keep it, for some reason in the
website anaysis.

Kou

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