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{{RCL}}
{{RCL}}
The '''Meyer–Wempe''' [[romanization]] system was developed by two [[Catholicism|Catholic]] [[missionary|missionaries]] in [[Hong Kong]], [[Bernhard F. Meyer]] and [[Theodore F. Wempe]], during the 1920s and 1930s for romanizing [[Standard Cantonese]].
'''Meyer–Wempe''' [[romanization]] was the system used by two [[Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] [[missionary|missionaries]] in [[Hong Kong]], [[Bernard F. Meyer]] and [[Theodore F. Wempe]], for romanizing [[Cantonese]] in their ''Student's Cantonese English Dictionary'' published in 1935.<ref name="Dictionary">{{cite book|title=The Student's Cantonese-English Dictionary|last1=Meyer|first1=Bernard F|last2=Wempe|first2=Theodore F|publisher=[[St. Louis School, Hong Kong|St Louis Industrial School]]|date=1935|place=Hong Kong}}</ref>


==Provenance==
== [[Initial (linguistics)|Initials]] ==
Although some <ref>{{cite book|date=1991|title=English-Cantonese Dictionary, Cantonese in Yale Romanization|location=Hong Kong|publisher=New-Asia-Yale-in-China Chinese Language Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong|page=8|isbn=9627141186}}</ref> attribute development of the system to them, there was nothing new in it<ref name="Dictionary" />{{rp|Explanatory Notes}} as their entire schema followed the system devised in the last decade of the 19th century known as [[Standard Romanization (Cantonese)|Standard Romanization]] (SR), which, in turn, was almost identical to John Chalmers' system of 1870.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Kataoka|first=Shin|last2=Lee|first2=Cream|date=2008|journal=Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics|title=A System without a System: Cantonese Romanization Used in Hong Kong Place and Personal Names|page=82}}</ref> Chalmers' system was significant in that it was the first system to virtually do away with diacritics entirely, the sole survivor being his final ö, which is eu in the Standard Romanization while being in this one oeh.

==Initials==
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
|-
Line 9: Line 12:
|m<br>{{IPA|[m]}}
|m<br>{{IPA|[m]}}
|f<br>{{IPA|[f]}}
|f<br>{{IPA|[f]}}
|
|-
|-
|t<br>{{IPA|[t]}}
|t<br>{{IPA|[t]}}
|t'<br>{{IPA|[tʰ]}}
|t'<br>{{IPA|[tʰ]}}
|n<br>{{IPA|[n]}}
|n<br>{{IPA|[n]}}
|
|l<br>{{IPA|[l]}}
|l<br>{{IPA|[l]}}
|-
|-
Line 19: Line 24:
|ng<br>{{IPA|[ŋ]}}
|ng<br>{{IPA|[ŋ]}}
|h<br>{{IPA|[h]}}
|h<br>{{IPA|[h]}}
|
|-
|kw<br>{{IPA|[kw]}}
|k'w<br>{{IPA|[kʰw]}}
|
|
|oo, w<br>{{IPA|[w]}}
|-
|-
|ts<br>{{IPA|[ts]}}
|ts<br>{{IPA|[ts]}}
|ts'<br>{{IPA|[tsʰ]}}
|ts'<br>{{IPA|[tsʰ]}}
|
|s<br>{{IPA|[s]}}
|s<br>{{IPA|[s]}}
|i, y<br>{{IPA|[j]}}
|&nbsp;
|-
|-
|ch<br>{{IPA|[tɕ]}}
|ch<br>{{IPA|[tɕ]}}
|ch'<br>{{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}
|ch'<br>{{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}
|
|sh<br>{{IPA|[ɕ]}}
|sh<br>{{IPA|[ɕ]}}
|
|&nbsp;
|-
|kw<br>{{IPA|[kw]}}
|k'w<br>{{IPA|[kʰw]}}
|i, y<br>{{IPA|[j]}}
|oo, w<br>{{IPA|[w]}}
|}
|}


* The distinction between the [[alveolar]] [[sibilants]] ({{IPA|[ts]}}, {{IPA|[tsʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[s]}}) and [[alveolo-palatal]] sibilants ({{IPA|[tɕ]}}, {{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[ɕ]}}) has been lost in modern Cantonese, though the distinction still existed at the time this system was devised. See [[Standard Cantonese]] for more information.
The distinction between the [[alveolar consonant|alveolar]] [[sibilants]] ({{IPA|[ts]}}, {{IPA|[tsʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[s]}}) and [[alveolo-palatal]] sibilants ({{IPA|[tɕ]}}, {{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[ɕ]}}) has been lost in modern Cantonese, though the distinction still existed at the time this system was devised. See [[Cantonese phonology]] for more information.


== [[Final (linguistics)|Finals]] ==
==Finals==
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
|-
Line 76: Line 85:
|im<br>{{IPA|[iːm]}}
|im<br>{{IPA|[iːm]}}
|in<br>{{IPA|[iːn]}}
|in<br>{{IPA|[iːn]}}
|ing<br>{{IPA|[ɪŋ]}}
|ing<br>{{IPA|[eŋ]}}
|ip<br>{{IPA|[iːp]}}
|ip<br>{{IPA|[iːp]}}
|it<br>{{IPA|[iːt]}}
|it<br>{{IPA|[iːt]}}
|ik<br>{{IPA|[ɪk]}}
|ik<br>{{IPA|[ek]}}
|-
|-
|oh<br>{{IPA|[&#596;ː]}}
|oh<br>{{IPA|[ɔː]}}
|oi<br>{{IPA|[&#596;ːi]}}
|oi<br>{{IPA|[ɔːy]}}
|o<br>{{IPA|[ou]}}
|o<br>{{IPA|[ou]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|on<br>{{IPA|[&#596;ːn]}}
|on<br>{{IPA|[ɔːn]}}
|ong<br>{{IPA|[&#596;ːŋ]}}
|ong<br>{{IPA|[ɔːŋ]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|ot<br>{{IPA|[&#596;ːt]}}
|ot<br>{{IPA|[ɔːt]}}
|ok<br>{{IPA|[&#596;ːk]}}
|ok<br>{{IPA|[ɔːk]}}
|-
|-
|oo<br>{{IPA|[uː]}}
|oo<br>{{IPA|[uː]}}
|ooi<br>{{IPA|[uːi]}}
|ooi<br>{{IPA|[uːy]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|oon<br>{{IPA|[uːn]}}
|oon<br>{{IPA|[uːn]}}
|ung<br>{{IPA|[ʊŋ]}}
|ung<br>{{IPA|[oŋ]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|oot<br>{{IPA|[uːt]}}
|oot<br>{{IPA|[uːt]}}
|uk<br>{{IPA|[ʊk]}}
|uk<br>{{IPA|[ok]}}
|-
|-
|oeh<br>{{IPA|[œː]}}
|oeh<br>{{IPA|[œː]}}
|&nbsp;
|ui<br>{{IPA|[ɵy]}}
|ui<br>{{IPA|[ɵy]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|un<br>{{IPA|[ɵn]}}
|un<br>{{IPA|[ɵn]}}
Line 131: Line 140:
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|}
|}
* The finals ''m'' and ''ng'' can only be used as standalone [[nasal consonant|nasal]] syllables.
The finals ''m'' and ''ng'' can only be used as standalone [[nasal stop|nasal]] syllables.


==Tones==
==Tones==
Diacritics are used to mark the six [[Cantonese phonology#Tones|tones of Cantonese]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Huang |first1=Parker |last2=Kok |first2=Gerard P.|date=1973 |title=Speak Cantonese - Book 1 3rd Edition |url=https://archive.org/details/speakcantonese00huan |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/speakcantonese00huan/page/15 15]|publisher=Far Eastern Publications, Yale University |isbn=978-0887100949}}</ref> The tone mark should be placed above the first letter of the final.
Unlike most Cantonese romanization systems, Meyer–Wempe indicates the entering tones, for a total of ten tones.
{|class="wikitable"

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
|-
!No.
|'''Tone description'''
!Description
|'''Example'''
![[Tone contour|Contour]]
!Tone mark
!Example
|-
|-
|1
|upper even
|high flat/high falling
|a
|55 / 53
|No mark
|ma
|-
|-
|2
|upper rising
|high rising
|á
|35
|[[Acute accent]] ( ´ )
|má
|-
|-
|3
|upper going
|mid flat
|à
|33
|[[Grave accent]] ( ` )
|mà
|-
|-
|4
|middle entering
|low falling
|àt
|21
|[[Circumflex]] ( ˆ )
|mâ
|-
|-
|5
|upper even
|low rising
|a
|23
|[[Breve]] ( ˘ )
|mă
|-
|-
|6
|upper entering
|low flat
|at
|-
|22
|[[Macron (diacritic)|Macron]]( ¯ )
|low even
|ā
|mā
|-
|lower rising
|ǎ
|-
|lower going
|â
|-
|lower entering
|ât
|}
|}


==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{Cite book
| title = English-Cantonese dictionary: Cantonese in Yale romanization
| publisher = [[Chinese University of Hong Kong|Chinese University]] Press
| year = 2000
| pages = 7–11
| isbn = 962-201-970-6}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer-Wempe}}
[[Category:Cantonese romanisation]]
[[Category:Cantonese romanisation]]

{{HK-stub}}
{{writingsystem-stub}}
{{st-lang-stub}}

[[no:Meyer-Wempe]]
[[zh-yue:Meyer-Wempe]]

Latest revision as of 12:54, 20 January 2024

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By place

Meyer–Wempe romanization was the system used by two Roman Catholic missionaries in Hong Kong, Bernard F. Meyer and Theodore F. Wempe, for romanizing Cantonese in their Student's Cantonese English Dictionary published in 1935.[1]

Provenance[edit]

Although some [2] attribute development of the system to them, there was nothing new in it[1]: Explanatory Notes  as their entire schema followed the system devised in the last decade of the 19th century known as Standard Romanization (SR), which, in turn, was almost identical to John Chalmers' system of 1870.[3] Chalmers' system was significant in that it was the first system to virtually do away with diacritics entirely, the sole survivor being his final ö, which is eu in the Standard Romanization while being in this one oeh.

Initials[edit]

p
[p] 		p'
[pʰ] 		m
[m] 		f
[f]
t
[t] 		t'
[tʰ] 		n
[n] 		l
[l]
k
[k] 		k'
[kʰ] 		ng
[ŋ] 		h
[h]
kw
[kw] 		k'w
[kʰw] 		oo, w
[w]
ts
[ts] 		ts'
[tsʰ] 		s
[s] 		i, y
[j]
ch
[tɕ] 		ch'
[tɕʰ] 		sh
[ɕ]

The distinction between the alveolar sibilants ([ts], [tsʰ], and [s]) and alveolo-palatal sibilants ([tɕ], [tɕʰ], and [ɕ]) has been lost in modern Cantonese, though the distinction still existed at the time this system was devised. See Cantonese phonology for more information.

Finals[edit]

a
[aː] 		aai
[aːi] 		aau
[aːu] 		aam
[aːm] 		aan
[aːn] 		aang
[aːŋ] 		aap
[aːp] 		aat
[aːt] 		aak
[aːk]
  ai
[ɐi] 		au
[ɐu] 		am, om
[ɐm] 		an
[ɐn] 		ang
[ɐŋ] 		ap, op
[ɐp] 		at
[ɐt] 		ak
[ɐk]
e
[ɛː] 		ei
[ei] 		      eng
[ɛːŋ] 		    ek
[ɛːk]
i
[iː] 		  iu
[iːu] 		im
[iːm] 		in
[iːn] 		ing
[eŋ] 		ip
[iːp] 		it
[iːt] 		ik
[ek]
oh
[ɔː] 		oi
[ɔːy] 		o
[ou] 		  on
[ɔːn] 		ong
[ɔːŋ] 		  ot
[ɔːt] 		ok
[ɔːk]
oo
[uː] 		ooi
[uːy] 		    oon
[uːn] 		ung
[oŋ] 		  oot
[uːt] 		uk
[ok]
oeh
[œː] 		ui
[ɵy] 		    un
[ɵn] 		eung
[œːŋ] 		  ut
[ɵt] 		euk
[œːk]
ue
[yː] 		      uen
[yːn] 		    uet
[yːt] 		 
      m
[m̩] 		  ng
[ŋ̩] 		     

The finals m and ng can only be used as standalone nasal syllables.

Tones[edit]

Diacritics are used to mark the six tones of Cantonese.[4] The tone mark should be placed above the first letter of the final.

No. Description Contour Tone mark Example
1 high flat/high falling 55 / 53 No mark ma
2 high rising 35 Acute accent ( ´ ) má
3 mid flat 33 Grave accent ( ` ) mà
4 low falling 21 Circumflex ( ˆ ) mâ
5 low rising 23 Breve ( ˘ ) mă
6 low flat 22 Macron( ¯ ) mā

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Meyer, Bernard F; Wempe, Theodore F (1935). The Student's Cantonese-English Dictionary. Hong Kong: St Louis Industrial School.
  2. ^ English-Cantonese Dictionary, Cantonese in Yale Romanization. Hong Kong: New-Asia-Yale-in-China Chinese Language Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong. 1991. p. 8. ISBN 9627141186.
  3. ^ Kataoka, Shin; Lee, Cream (2008). "A System without a System: Cantonese Romanization Used in Hong Kong Place and Personal Names". Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics: 82.
  4. ^ Huang, Parker; Kok, Gerard P. (1973). Speak Cantonese - Book 1 3rd Edition. Far Eastern Publications, Yale University. p. 15. ISBN 978-0887100949.
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