Part 2 Pronounciation of vowels (1)

Of the 108 vowels in Zhuang, there are 6 short vowels and 102 diphthongs. You may think that there are so many but in fact the diphthongs are all composed of short vowels. Therefore, once you remember the basic pronounciation for the short vowels they do not seem all that difficult at all.

The 6 short vowels:

a  – pronounced [a] as in the English /apple/

ae – pronounced as a short [a], shorter than the above [a]

e – pronouced as a long [e] as in the English /e/ in /egg/

i – pronouced as a long [ee] as in the English /eagle/

o – pronounced as a long [o] by rounding the lips as in the English /opera/

oe – pronouced as a short [o], shorter than the above [o]

u – pronouced as a a long [u] by rounding the lips as in the English [oo] in /food/

w – pronouced as a long [u] but by relaxing the lips, as in the English /hood/

108 Diphthongs:

12 open syllable diphthongs:

ai, ae, ei, oi, ui, wi, au, aeu, eu, iu, ou, aw

30 voiced (nasal) diphthongs:

am, aem, em, iem, im, om, oem, uem, um, an, aen, en, ien, in, on, oen, uen, un, wen, wn, ang, aeng, eng, ieng, ing, ong, oeng, ueng, ung, wng

30 glottal stops (high) diphthongs:

ap, aep, ep, iep, ip, op, oep, uep, up, at, aet, et, iet, it, ot, oet, uet, ut, wet, wt, ak, aek, ek, iek, ik, ok, oek, uek, uk, wk

30 glottal stops (low) diphthongs:

ab, aeb, eb, ieb, ib, ob, oeb, ueb, ub, ad, aed, ed, ied, id, od, oed, ued, ud, wed, wd, ag, aeg, eg, ieg, ig, og, oeg, ueg, ug, wg

I will clearly explain how to pronounce the diphthongs later.

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