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 /m/ 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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