Rules
Tone Rules
Factors

Consonants
Low Class

Middle Class
High Class

Tone Marks
- Low Class
- Middle Class
- High Class

Exams
- Consonant Groups
- Which Tone? (Low)
- Which Tone? (Mid)
- Which Tone? (High)

The Low Class Consonants.

The following are the Low Class consonants.

¤ ¦ § ª « ¬ ­ ± ² ³ · ¸ ¹ ¾ ¿ À Á Â Å Ã Ç Ì Î

A small tip, this is the biggest group. It is not necessary to try and learn these low class consonants since if you have learned the high and middle class consonants, it follows that everything else is a low class consonant.

Tone Rules for Low Class Consonants

(1) Syllables beginning with a low class consonant and having no tone mark take the Mid Tone unless they end with K, P or T sounds or in a short vowel.

¤Ó Word ªÒ Tea ·Ó Make, do.
¹Ò Field §Ù Snake ÁÒ Come
ÃÒ¤Ò Price ÅÁ Wind ªÁ Admire

(2) Syllables beginning with a low class consonant and having no tone mark but ending in K, P or T sounds, take:

  • the Falling Tone if the vowel is long.
  • the High Tone if the vowel is short.

Falling Tone.

ÁÒ¡ Many ÃÙ» Picture àÃÕ¡ Call
¾Ù´ Speak Â×´ Stretch ÂÒ¡ Difficult

High Tone.

¾Ñ¡ Rest ¤Ø¡ Prison ÃÑ¡ Love
Å´ Decrease ¤Ô´ Think ªØ´  Suit

(3) Syllables beginning with a low class consonant and having a short open vowel take the High Tone. There are very few complete words of this type.

áÅÐ And ÁÔ No, not. à¾ÃÒÐ Because

(4) Syllables beginning with a low class consonant and having the tone mark MYAYK (-è) over the initial consonant take the Falling Tone.

¤Ùè Pair áÁè Mother ¾èÍ Father
äÁè No, not. §èÒ Easy ÇÔè§ Run
ÃèÇÁ Together ¹Ñè§ Sit à·èÒ Equal

(5) Syllables beginning with a low class consonant and having the tone mark MYTO (-é) over the initial consonant take the High Tone.

ÁéÒ Horse ¹éÓ Water äÇé Keep
¹éÍ A little «éÒ Left side ªéÒ§  Elephant


Click here for examples.
If you think you are ready, click here for the exam.