Tones
In Penang Hokkien, there are five tones in unchecked syllables (high, low, rising, high falling, and low falling), and two Entering tones (high and low) in checked syllables. In most systems of romanisation, this is accounted as seven tones altogether. The tones are:
| Upper | Lower | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Name | IPA | Contour | POJ | No. | Name | IPA | Contour | POJ | |
| Level (平) | 1 | 頂平 téng-pε̂ⁿ | (44) | am | 5 | 下平 ε̄-pε̂ⁿ | (24) | âm | ||
| Rising (上) | 2 | 上聲 chhiơ̄ⁿ-siaⁿ | (54) | ám | ||||||
| Departing (去) | 3 | 頂去 téng-khì | (21) | àm | 7 | 下去 ε̄-khì | (22) | ām | ||
| Entering (入) | 4 | 頂入 téng-jıˈp | (2) | ap | 8 | 下入 ε̄-jıˈp | (4) | a̍p | ||
The names of the tones no longer bear any relation to the tone contours, e.g. the (upper) Rising (2nd) tone is actually a high falling tone. As in Amoy and Zhangzhou, there is no lower Rising (6th) tone. As in Zhangzhou, the two Departing tones (3rd & 7th) are virtually identical, and may not be distinguished except in their sandhi forms. Most native speakers of Penang Hokkien are therefore only aware of four tones (high, low, rising, high falling).
Read more about this topic: Penang Hokkien
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