Reading GR (original) (raw)
Now that you are familiar with the GR spelling of basic forms, you need to learn to identify the modifications used to indicate tone. For any given GR syllable, work through the table from the top down until you identify it.
| This spelling | Indicates this tone | Examples | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic form (or=Pinyin) | 1 | Exceptions:initial LMNRWY (mnemonic: MaiN RaiLWaY)=T2: Ling,Men,Nian,Ren; Yi, Wu; -ao=T3: Tao | Ling2, Men2, Nian2, Ren2, Yi2, Wu2; Tao3 |
| Initial U, I; final -(i)au; LMNR+h | 1 | U_ei, I_ng, G_au, Bi_au, _Rh_eng | Wei1, Ying1, Gao1, Biau1, Reng1 |
| Added R | 2 | Cherng, Bair | Cheng2, Bai2 |
| Unusual ending | 4 | Dah, Day, Daw, Shanq, Bann, Ell | Da4, Dai4, Dao4, Shang4, Ban4, Er4 |
| Unusual vowels (ignore Y) | 3 | Daa, Meei, Yeou, Woang, Goei, Beau, Neu, Sheue, Bae | Da3, Mei3, You3, Wang3, Gui3, Biao3, Nü3 [u-umlaut], Xue3, Bai3 |
| Y or W | 2 | Twu, Chwen, Shyng, Yn, Jyi, Chyun, | Tu2, Chun2, Xing2, Yin2, Ji2, Qun2 |
| Dot or no vowel | Neutral | Piaw.lianq, san g,sherm, jiowsh | Piao4liang, san1 ge, shen2me, jiu4shi |
You should now be able to read a simple text in GR ...
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