Meyer–Wempe

Meyer–Wempe romanization was the system used by two Roman Catholic missionaries in Hong Kong, Bernard F. Meyer and Theodore F. Wempe, for romanizing Cantonese in their Student's Cantonese English Dictionary published in 1935.{{cite book|title=The Student's Cantonese-English Dictionary|last1=Meyer|first1=Bernard F|last2=Wempe|first2=Theodore F|publisher=St Louis Industrial School|date=1935|place=Hong Kong}}

Provenance

Although some {{cite book|date=1991|title=English-Cantonese Dictionary, Cantonese in Yale Romanization|location=Hong Kong|publisher=New-Asia-Yale-in-China Chinese Language Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong|page=8|isbn=9627141186}} attribute development of the system to them, there was nothing new in it{{rp|Explanatory Notes}} as their entire schema followed the system devised in the last decade of the 19th century known as Standard Romanization (SR), which, in turn, was almost identical to John Chalmers' system of 1870.{{cite journal|last=Kataoka|first=Shin|last2=Lee|first2=Cream|date=2008|journal=Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics|title=A System without a System: Cantonese Romanization Used in Hong Kong Place and Personal Names|page=82}} Chalmers' system was significant in that it was the first system to virtually do away with diacritics entirely, the sole survivor being his final ö, which is eu in the Standard Romanization while being in this one oeh.

Initials

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

p
{{IPA|[p]}}

|p'
{{IPA|[pʰ]}}

|m
{{IPA|[m]}}

|f
{{IPA|[f]}}

t
{{IPA|[t]}}

|t'
{{IPA|[tʰ]}}

|n
{{IPA|[n]}}

|l
{{IPA|[l]}}

k
{{IPA|[k]}}

|k'
{{IPA|[kʰ]}}

|ng
{{IPA|[ŋ]}}

|h
{{IPA|[h]}}

kw
{{IPA|[kw]}}

|k'w
{{IPA|[kʰw]}}

|oo, w
{{IPA|[w]}}

ts
{{IPA|[ts]}}

|ts'
{{IPA|[tsʰ]}}

|s
{{IPA|[s]}}

|i, y
{{IPA|[j]}}

ch
{{IPA|[tɕ]}}

|ch'
{{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}

|sh
{{IPA|[ɕ]}}

The distinction between the alveolar sibilants ({{IPA|[ts]}}, {{IPA|[tsʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[s]}}) and alveolo-palatal sibilants ({{IPA|[tɕ]}}, {{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}, and {{IPA|[ɕ]}}) has been lost in modern Cantonese, though the distinction still existed at the time this system was devised. See Cantonese phonology for more information.

Finals

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

a
{{IPA|[aː]}}

|aai
{{IPA|[aːi]}}

|aau
{{IPA|[aːu]}}

|aam
{{IPA|[aːm]}}

|aan
{{IPA|[aːn]}}

|aang
{{IPA|[aːŋ]}}

|aap
{{IPA|[aːp]}}

|aat
{{IPA|[aːt]}}

|aak
{{IPA|[aːk]}}

|ai
{{IPA|[ɐi]}}

|au
{{IPA|[ɐu]}}

|am, om
{{IPA|[ɐm]}}

|an
{{IPA|[ɐn]}}

|ang
{{IPA|[ɐŋ]}}

|ap, op
{{IPA|[ɐp]}}

|at
{{IPA|[ɐt]}}

|ak
{{IPA|[ɐk]}}

e
{{IPA|[ɛː]}}

|ei
{{IPA|[ei]}}

|eng
{{IPA|[ɛːŋ]}}

|ek
{{IPA|[ɛːk]}}

i
{{IPA|[iː]}}

|iu
{{IPA|[iːu]}}

|im
{{IPA|[iːm]}}

|in
{{IPA|[iːn]}}

|ing
{{IPA|[eŋ]}}

|ip
{{IPA|[iːp]}}

|it
{{IPA|[iːt]}}

|ik
{{IPA|[ek]}}

oh
{{IPA|[ɔː]}}

|oi
{{IPA|[ɔːy]}}

|o
{{IPA|[ou]}}

|on
{{IPA|[ɔːn]}}

|ong
{{IPA|[ɔːŋ]}}

|ot
{{IPA|[ɔːt]}}

|ok
{{IPA|[ɔːk]}}

oo
{{IPA|[uː]}}

|ooi
{{IPA|[uːy]}}

|oon
{{IPA|[uːn]}}

|ung
{{IPA|[oŋ]}}

|oot
{{IPA|[uːt]}}

|uk
{{IPA|[ok]}}

oeh
{{IPA|[œː]}}

|ui
{{IPA|[ɵy]}}

|un
{{IPA|[ɵn]}}

|eung
{{IPA|[œːŋ]}}

|ut
{{IPA|[ɵt]}}

|euk
{{IPA|[œːk]}}

ue
{{IPA|[yː]}}

|uen
{{IPA|[yːn]}}

|uet
{{IPA|[yːt]}}

|m
{{IPA|[m̩]}}

|ng
{{IPA|[ŋ̩]}}

The finals m and ng can only be used as standalone nasal syllables.

Tones

Diacritics are used to mark the six tones of Cantonese.{{cite book |last1=Huang |first1=Parker |last2=Kok |first2=Gerard P.|date=1973 |title=Speak Cantonese - Book 1 3rd Edition |url=https://archive.org/details/speakcantonese00huan |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/speakcantonese00huan/page/15 15]|publisher=Far Eastern Publications, Yale University |isbn=978-0887100949}} The tone mark should be placed above the first letter of the final.

class="wikitable"
No. !Description !Contour !Tone mark !Example
1 \|high flat/high falling \|55 / 53 \|No mark \|ma
2 \|high rising \|35 \|Acute accent ( ´ ) \|má
3 \|mid flat \|33 \|Grave accent ( ` ) \|mà
4 \|low falling \|21 \|Circumflex ( ˆ ) \|mâ
5 \|low rising \|23 \|Breve ( ˘ ) \|mă
6 \|low flat \|22 \|Macron( ¯ ) \|mā

class="wikitable"

No.

!Description

!Contour

!Tone mark

!Example

|high flat/high falling

|55 / 53

|No mark

|ma

|high rising

|35