Meyer–Wempe

Chinese romanization
Mandarin
Standard Chinese Hanyu Pinyin (ISO standard) EFEO Gwoyeu Romatzyh Spelling conventions Latinxua Sin Wenz Mandarin Phonetic Symbols II Postal romanization Tongyong Pinyin Wade–Giles Yale romanization Lessing-Othmer Legge romanization Simplified Wade Comparison chart
Sichuanese Sichuanese Pinyin Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz
Wu
Shanghai and Suzhou dialects Long-short
Wenzhounese Wenzhounese romanization
Yue
Cantonese Jyutping Yale romanization Guangdong Romanization Hong Kong Government Macau Government Meyer–Wempe Sidney Lau S. L. Wong (phonetic symbols) S. L. Wong (romanization) Cantonese Pinyin Standard Romanization Barnett–Chao Comparison chart
Southern Min
Taiwanese, Amoy and related Pe̍h-ōe-jī Modern Literal Taiwanese Phofsit Daibuun Bbánlám pìngyīm Daighi tongiong pingim TLPA Tâi-lô Comparison chart
Teochew Peng'im
Eastern Min
Fuzhou dialect Foochow Romanized
Northern Min
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Pu-Xian Min
Putian dialect Hinghwa Romanized
Hainanese
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Hakka
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Gan
Chang-Du dialect Pha̍k-oa-chhi
See also
Other transliterations General Chinese Cyrillization Xiao'erjing 'Phags-pa script Bopomofo Taiwanese kana Taiwanese Phonetic Symbols Mongolian transliteration of Chinese characters Manchu transliteration Transcription into Chinese
By place Romanization in Hong Kong Romanization in Singapore Romanization in Taiwan

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 1934.

Provenance

Although some ^[1] attribute development of the system to them, there was nothing new in it 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.^[2] Chalmers' system was significant in that it was the first system to virtually do away with diacritics entirely, the sole survivor being final ö, which is oeh in SR.

Initials

p [p]	p' [pʰ]	m [m]	f [f]
t [t]	t' [tʰ]	n [n]		l [l]
k [k]	k' [kʰ]	ng [ŋ]	h [h]
kw [kw]	k'w [kʰw]			oo, w [w]
ts [ts]	ts' [tsʰ]		s [s]	i, y [j]
ch [tɕ]	ch' [tɕʰ]		sh [ɕ]

The distinction between the alveolar sibilants ([ts], [tsʰ], and [s]) and alveolo-palatal sibilants ([tɕ], [tɕʰ], and [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

a [aː]	aai [aːi]	aau [aːu]	aam [aːm]	aan [aːn]	aang [aːŋ]	aap [aːp]	aat [aːt]	aak [aːk]
	ai [ɐi]	au [ɐu]	am, om [ɐm]	an [ɐn]	ang [ɐŋ]	ap, op [ɐp]	at [ɐt]	ak [ɐk]
e [ɛː]	ei [ei]				eng [ɛːŋ]			ek [ɛːk]
i [iː]		iu [iːu]	im [iːm]	in [iːn]	ing [ɪŋ]	ip [iːp]	it [iːt]	ik [ɪk]
oh [ɔː]	oi [ɔːi]	o [ou]		on [ɔːn]	ong [ɔːŋ]		ot [ɔːt]	ok [ɔːk]
oo [uː]	ooi [uːi]			oon [uːn]	ung [ʊŋ]		oot [uːt]	uk [ʊk]
oeh [œː]	ui [ɵy]			un [ɵn]	eung [œːŋ]		ut [ɵt]	euk [œːk]
ue [yː]				uen [yːn]			uet [yːt]
			m [m̩]		ng [ŋ̩]

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

Tones

Unlike most Cantonese romanization systems, Meyer–Wempe indicates the entering tones, for a total of nine tones.

Tone description	Example
upper even	a
upper rising	á
upper going	à
middle entering	àt
upper entering	at
low even	ā
lower rising	ǎ
lower going	â
lower entering	ât

References

↑ English-Cantonese Dictionary, Cantonese in Yale Romanization. Hong Kong: New-Asia-Yale-in-China Chinese Language Center, Chinese University of Hong Kong. 1991. p. 8. ISBN 9627141186.
↑ Kataoka, Shin; Lee, Cream (2008). "A System without a System: Cantonese Romanization Used in Hong Kong Place and Personal Names". Hong Kong Journal of Applied Linguistics: 82.

English-Cantonese dictionary: Cantonese in Yale romanization. Chinese University Press. 2000. pp. 7–11. ISBN 962-201-970-6.

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