Tone Sandhi
Sandhi in Wu dialects tends to be fairly complex as compared to Mandarin. While not nearly as complex as the Suzhou dialect of Wu, Changzhou dialect is no exception.
In the case of pairs of syllables have the stress on the second syllable, the only notable changes are the second syllable changing from (523) to (52) in the case of the fourth tone or from (13) to (11) with the second tone.
| 1st | 3rd | 4th | 6th | 2nd | 5th | 7th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| first | 33:33 | 55:32 | 55:32 | 55:3 | 33:33 | 55:32 | 55:3 |
| third | 53:22 | 53:22 | 53:22 | 53:2 | 53:22 | 53:22 | 53:2 |
| fourth | 55:55 | 53:22 | 55:55 | 55:5 | 55:55 | 55:55 | 55:5 |
| sixth | 5:55 | 5:55 | 5:42 | 5:5 | 5:55 | 5:42 | 5:5 |
| second | 11:33 | 11:55 | 11:33 | 11:5 | 11:33 | 11:33 | 1:3 |
| fifth | 32:23 | 32:23 | 35:32 | 32:23 | 32:13 | 35:32 | 32:23 |
| seventh | 23:33 | 23:33 | 23:42 | 23:3 | 23:33 | 23:32 | 23:3 |
Read more about this topic: Changzhou Dialect, Phonetics and Phonology, Tones
Famous quotes containing the word tone:
“If the oarsmen of a fast-moving ship suddenly cease to row, the suspension of the driving force of the oars doesn’t prevent the vessel from continuing to move on its course. And with a speech it is much the same. After he has finished reciting the document, the speaker will still be able to maintain the same tone without a break, borrowing its momentum and impulse from the passage he has just read out.”
—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C)