Editing Meyer–Wempe

{{Short description|System of the romanisation of Cantonese}}
{{RCL}}
'''Meyer–Wempe''' [[romanization]] was the system used by two [[Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] [[missionary|missionaries]] in [[Hong Kong]], [[Bernard F. Meyer]] and [[Theodore F. Wempe]], for romanizing [[Cantonese]] in their ''Student's Cantonese English Dictionary'' published in 1935.<ref name="Dictionary">{{cite book|title=The Student's Cantonese-English Dictionary|last1=Meyer|first1=Bernard F|last2=Wempe|first2=Theodore F|publisher=[[St. Louis School, Hong Kong|St Louis Industrial School]]|date=1935|place=Hong Kong}}</ref>  

==Provenance==
Although some <ref>{{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}}</ref> attribute development of the system to them, there was nothing new in it<ref name="Dictionary" />{{rp|Explanatory Notes}} as their entire schema followed the system devised in the last decade of the 19th century known as [[Standard Romanization (Cantonese)|Standard Romanization]] (SR), which, in turn, was almost identical to John Chalmers' system of 1870.<ref>{{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}}</ref> 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<br>{{IPA|[p]}}
|p'<br>{{IPA|[pʰ]}}
|m<br>{{IPA|[m]}}
|f<br>{{IPA|[f]}}
|
|-
|t<br>{{IPA|[t]}}
|t'<br>{{IPA|[tʰ]}}
|n<br>{{IPA|[n]}}
|
|l<br>{{IPA|[l]}}
|-
|k<br>{{IPA|[k]}}
|k'<br>{{IPA|[kʰ]}}
|ng<br>{{IPA|[ŋ]}}
|h<br>{{IPA|[h]}}
|
|-
|kw<br>{{IPA|[kw]}}
|k'w<br>{{IPA|[kʰw]}}
|
|
|oo, w<br>{{IPA|[w]}}
|-
|ts<br>{{IPA|[ts]}}
|ts'<br>{{IPA|[tsʰ]}}
|
|s<br>{{IPA|[s]}}
|i, y<br>{{IPA|[j]}}
|-
|ch<br>{{IPA|[tɕ]}}
|ch'<br>{{IPA|[tɕʰ]}}
|
|sh<br>{{IPA|[ɕ]}}
|
|}

The distinction between the [[alveolar consonant|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<br>{{IPA|[aː]}}
|aai<br>{{IPA|[aːi]}}
|aau<br>{{IPA|[aːu]}}
|aam<br>{{IPA|[aːm]}}
|aan<br>{{IPA|[aːn]}}
|aang<br>{{IPA|[aːŋ]}}
|aap<br>{{IPA|[aːp]}}
|aat<br>{{IPA|[aːt]}}
|aak<br>{{IPA|[aːk]}}
|-
|&nbsp;
|ai<br>{{IPA|[ɐi]}}
|au<br>{{IPA|[ɐu]}}
|am, om<br>{{IPA|[ɐm]}}
|an<br>{{IPA|[ɐn]}}
|ang<br>{{IPA|[ɐŋ]}}
|ap, op<br>{{IPA|[ɐp]}}
|at<br>{{IPA|[ɐt]}}
|ak<br>{{IPA|[ɐk]}}
|-
|e<br>{{IPA|[ɛː]}}
|ei<br>{{IPA|[ei]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|eng<br>{{IPA|[ɛːŋ]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|ek<br>{{IPA|[ɛːk]}}
|-
|i<br>{{IPA|[iː]}}
|&nbsp;
|iu<br>{{IPA|[iːu]}}
|im<br>{{IPA|[iːm]}}
|in<br>{{IPA|[iːn]}}
|ing<br>{{IPA|[eŋ]}}
|ip<br>{{IPA|[iːp]}}
|it<br>{{IPA|[iːt]}}
|ik<br>{{IPA|[ek]}}
|-
|oh<br>{{IPA|[ɔː]}}
|oi<br>{{IPA|[ɔːy]}}
|o<br>{{IPA|[ou]}}
|&nbsp;
|on<br>{{IPA|[ɔːn]}}
|ong<br>{{IPA|[ɔːŋ]}}
|&nbsp;
|ot<br>{{IPA|[ɔːt]}}
|ok<br>{{IPA|[ɔːk]}}
|-
|oo<br>{{IPA|[uː]}}
|ooi<br>{{IPA|[uːy]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|oon<br>{{IPA|[uːn]}}
|ung<br>{{IPA|[oŋ]}}
|&nbsp;
|oot<br>{{IPA|[uːt]}}
|uk<br>{{IPA|[ok]}}
|-
|oeh<br>{{IPA|[œː]}}
|ui<br>{{IPA|[ɵy]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|un<br>{{IPA|[ɵn]}}
|eung<br>{{IPA|[œːŋ]}}
|&nbsp;
|ut<br>{{IPA|[ɵt]}}
|euk<br>{{IPA|[œːk]}}
|-
|ue<br>{{IPA|[yː]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|uen<br>{{IPA|[yːn]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|uet<br>{{IPA|[yːt]}}
|&nbsp;
|-
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|m<br>{{IPA|[m̩]}}
|&nbsp;
|ng<br>{{IPA|[ŋ̩]}}
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|&nbsp;
|}
The finals ''m'' and ''ng'' can only be used as standalone [[nasal stop|nasal]] syllables.

==Tones==
Diacritics are used to mark the six [[Cantonese phonology#Tones|tones of Cantonese]].<ref>{{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}}</ref> The tone mark should be placed above the first letter of the final.
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!No.
!Description
![[Tone contour|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 (diacritic)|Macron]]( ¯ )
|mā
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{Cite book
| title = English-Cantonese dictionary: Cantonese in Yale romanization
| publisher = [[Chinese University of Hong Kong|Chinese University]] Press
| year = 2000
| pages = 7–11
| isbn = 962-201-970-6}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer-Wempe}}
[[Category:Cantonese romanisation]]
[[Category:Writing systems introduced in 1935]]
[[Category:1935 establishments in Hong Kong]]