Exercise

In this exercise (a simple dialogue between two boys) only a few tonal clues and other hints have been highlighted. See if you can manage to read it.


Charbei .de Bei tzeem shiee .ya?

Jea: Ge, Jonggwo tzyh jen ma.farn, woo jih.der kuay, wanq.der yee kuay, nii yeou sherm hao fartz .ma?

Yii: Woo.men laoshy shuo shyue yi g tzyh, inggai shian jih jey g tzyh .de buhshoou, biifang shuo Hwu jey g tzyh yeou sandean-shoel, yidinq gen shoei yeou guan.shih, Lin jey g tzyh sh Muh tzyhparngl, yidinq gen shuh.muh yeou guan.shih.

Jea: Jeh jen yeou yih.sy, shianntzay woo tsair ming.bair weysherm Chy gen He dou sh Koou tzyhparngl.

Yii: Dangran .le, yawsh mei yeou tzoei, tzeem chy, tzeem he .a?

Jea: Keesh charbei .de Bei tzell, weysherm sh Muh tzyhparngl .ne? Woo tsornglai mei jiann.guoh muh.tour tzuoh .de beitz.

Yii: Nii jen benn, tzeem lian jey g dou buh doong? Nii kann Bei jey g tzyh, yihbial sh Muh, yihbial sh Buh. Yih.sy jiowsh shuo beitz bwush muh.tour tzuoh .de!

Adapted from Colloquial Chinese
© PC T'ung & DE Pollard 1983
Reproduced with authors' permission

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