A Grammar of Colloquial Chinese, as Exhibited in the Shanghai Dialect

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

PART I.
on sound, 1–57.
Section	Page
1. Alphabet. Table of sounds.	1.
2. On the Chinese tones. Natural tones described. Tones of several dialects.	6.
3. On Shanghai tones. Tones in state of transition. Relation of tones to music and accents.	13.
4. Alphabetic elements of the sounds. The 36 initials of the Dictionaries, Represent the sounds of the old language, and are now a provincial pronunciation. The Shanghai dialect, a branch of that system. Finals. Comparative table of Shanghai and Mandarin finals. The final consonants n, ng and k.	43.

PART II.
on the parts of speech, 58–162.
Section	Page
1. Native divisions. Division proposed by a native grammarian.	58.
2. Relation of the dialect to the written language, and to other dialects. Primitive words exemplified. Relation to the mandarin of the Historical Romances. Compared with the dialect of SÚ-cheÚ.	60.
3. On Substantives.	66.
4. On Numeral and Quantitative Auxiliary Substantives. Distinctive Particles. Significant Particles. Weights and measures. Collectives.	81.
5. On Adjectives.	89.
6. On Pronouns.	101.
7. On Verbs. Modes of grouping. Kinds of Verbs. Mode. Tense.	111.
8. Propositions, and Postpositions.	134.
9. On Adverbs.	136.
10. On Conjunctions.	154.
11. On Expletives and Interjections.	160.

PART III.
on syntax, 163–214.
Section	Page
1. On Government.	163.
2. Interchange of the Parts of Speech. Adjective as Substantive. Verb as Substantive, and as Adjective, &c.	164.
3. On Government of Words in Groups.	170.
4. On Repetition.	176.
5. On Order in Groups.	181.
6. On Simple Propositions.	187.
7. On Subordinate Sentences.	196.
8. On Coordinate Sentences.	205.
9. On Antithesis.	210.
10. On Rhythmus.	212.

Appendix
I. On the ?? or higher colloquial used by literary men.	215.
II. On the Native Tables of Initials and Finals. Imitated from the Sanscrit. Geographical outline of the dialects that agree with the dictionary system.	216.
Addenda.
Errata

RULES FOR USING THE ORTHOGRAPHY HERE ADOPTED.

The accent marks long vowels Í, É, Á, Ó, Ú, pronounced as the vowel in feel, fail, father, foal, fool.
Vowels not accented are the five short vowels corresponding to these; e.g. in fin, fen, fan, fop, fun.
The remaining vowels are Ö, Ü, au, Û, eu, pronounced as in kÖnig, une, auburn, ?, ?.
The initial consonants k, t, p, f, s, are pronounced high and with the English and Scotch sound. When k, t, p, take an aspirate as in the pronunciation of some parts of Ireland and the United States, they are written k’, t’, p’. These with the vowels and h’ a strong aspirate, constitute the upper series.
The initials g, d, b, y, z with ng, n, m, l, rh, a soft aspirate h, and vowel initials form the lower series. The italic k, t, etc., are to be pronounced two full musical notes lower than the roman k, t, etc., and are counted as the same with g, d, &c.
The nasals m, ng, n, without a vowel are italicised.
Final n when italicised is pronounced very indistinctly.
The superior commas on the left and right of a word, mark the second and third tones. Final h, k and g, indicate the short tone. Words not thus marked are all in the first tone.

The series is known by the initial as in the native mode of spelling, ??, Fan-t’sih. The capital letters denote dialects as—

A GRAMMAR

OF THE

SHANGHAI DIALECT,

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