On this curious subject I am enabled to speak with great accuracy, through the kindness of Sir George Staunton, to whom, indeed, I am indebted for more information in this work than I am allowed to acknowledge. From the best manuscript Chinese dictionary in his possession, he has obligingly taken the trouble to draw out the following abstract of all the simple sounds, or words, in the Chinese language, together with their inflexions or accentuations, by which they are extended as far as any tongue can possibly articulate, or the nicest ear discriminate. The first column shews all the initial letters, or their powers in the language; the second, the number of terminations, or the remaining part of the monosyllable beside the initial; and the third, expresses the number of monosyllabic sounds that may be given to each by inflexion, or modulation of voice, and by making use of aspirates. | Initials. | Number of terminations| Number of inflexions | Power. | to each. | or accentuations. | | | --|--------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------- 1 | Ch. as in Child. | 20 | 131 including aspirates. 2 | F. | 10 | 30 no aspirates. 3 | G. | 11 | 32 no aspirates. 4 | between H. & S. | 36 | 114 all strong aspirates. 5 | Y. | 16 | 61 no aspirates. 6 | J as in French | | |_Jour_ | 14 | 34 no aspirates. 7 | K. | 37 | 206 including aspirates. 8 | L. | 25 | 66 no aspirates. 9 | M. | 22 | 58 no aspirates. 10| N. | 23 | 56 no aspirates. 11| O. | 1 | 2 no aspirates. 12| P. | 21 | 104 including aspirates. 13| S. | 29 | 86 no aspirates. 14| T. | 17 | 105 including aspirates. 15| Ts. | 28 | 147 including aspirates. 16| between V. and W. | 13 | 39 no aspirates. 17| Sh. | 19 | 60 no aspirates. --|--------------------|-----------------------|-------------------------- | | | 17| | 342 |1331