Page 5 - EALC C306/505

Pronunciation Guide for Pinyin Transcription

Although originally read in the pronunciation of the vernaculars of its times, Literary Chinese
is now read in Mandarin. There are approximately 450 possible syllables in Mandarin
pronunciation, exclusive of tone distinctions. Syllables are generally analyzed as having three
components: initial consonant, medial vowel, and final (though the true phonetics are more
complex). Any of these may be absent; syllables may consist solely of medials or finals.

I. Initials (21)

Mandarin initials are traditionally ordered in sets, rendered in pinyin as follows:

I.1 Simple initials:

Labials: b- p- m- f-
Dentals/laterals: d- t- n- l-
Gutterals: g- k- h-

The sounds above approximate the English letter values (‘h’ is somehwat roughened).

I.2 Sibilant, Palatal, and Retroflex series:

Sibilants: z(i) c(i) s(i)

The default ‘i’ for simple sibilant forms is a short, slightly nasalized ‘ə’ that minimally
vocalizes the initial, which emerges as a buzz or hiss. Thus ‘zi’ is minimally vocalized ‘dz’;
‘ci’ is pronounced like a minimally vocalized English ‘ts’; ‘si’ is an emphasic hiss.

-- Sibilants are never followed by by medial ‘i’ or ‘ü’. (The ‘i’ that follows is not a medial, just
a minimal vocalization.)

Palatals: j- q- x-

Palatals place a flattened tongue near the palate. ‘J’ approximates English soft ‘g’; ‘q’
approximates English ‘ch’ (as in ‘cheese’); ‘x’ approximates English ‘sh’ (as in ‘sheep’). These
Palatals resemble Japanese じ, ち, andし.

-- Palatals are always followed by medial ‘i’ or ‘ü’ (written ‘u’).

Retroflexes: zh(i) ch(i) sh(i) r(i)

Retroflexes involve a slight curling back of of the tongue tip towards the palate. ‘Zh’
approximates a hard English ‘j’ (or ‘dj’). The ‘r’ in pinyin is not a Lateral, like an English ‘r’:
‘r’ entails a slight fricative element, reflected in older transcriptions systems that use ‘j’; this is
most noticeable in the pure retroflex form ‘ri’. The simple retroflex forms are transcribed with
an ‘i’ vowel following, but this sound is not a full vowel, and is much closer to a short English
‘ur’ (or ‘ər’); other transcription systems would use a simple ‘r’ (e.g., ‘zhr’ or ‘jr’; ‘chr’, ‘shr’).

-- Retroflexes and never followed by by medial ‘i’ or ‘ü’. (The ‘i’ that follows is not a medial,
just a minimal vocalization.)

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