Rimes in the Southern dialect

Rimes in the Southern dialect (Saigon a.k.a. HCM city) sound quite differently compared to their counterparts in the standard accent.

Major features

Major features of the Southern dialect include:

  • The final consonant n pronounced as ng except when the vowel is ê or i.
  • The final consonant ng pronounced as n when the vowel is e, ê or i (vowel change included).
  • The diphthongs pronounced as long monophthongs when there is a final consonant

    • /iə/ (iê) becomes /iː/ (long i)
    • /ɨə/ (ươ) becomes /ɨː/ (long ư)
    • /uə/ (uô) becomes /uː/ (long u)

The Southern dialect rime table

Below is the Southern dialect rime table, which shows the pronunciations of rimes in the Southern dialect. Each rime whose pronunciation is different from its standard pronunciation can be highlighted in green. In addition, each rime whose pronunciation violates the standard sound system (which means its dialect respelling also violates the standard writing system) can be highlighted in cyan. In other words, (the pronunciations/respellings of) the rimes in cyan don’t exist in the standard rime table. (Highlight only works with rimes in Southern mode.)

  • Show:
  • Rime:
  • Highlight:
Final consonant
∅ i/j/ u/w/ m/m/ n/n/ ng/ŋ/ p/p/ t/t/ c/k/
No
medial		 e/ɛ/ e
/ɛ/		 ∅ eo
/ɛw/		 em
/ɛm/		 en
/ɛn/eng
/ɛŋ/		 anh
/ăjŋ/ăn
/ăn/		 ep
/ɛp/		 et
/ɛt/ec
/ɛk/		 ach
/ăjk/ăt
/ăt/
ê/e/ ê
/e/		 ∅ êu
/ew/		 êm
/em/		 ên
/en/ơn
/ən/		 ênh
/ə̆jŋ/ơn
/ən/		 êp
/ep/		 êt
/et/ơt
/ət/		 êch
/ə̆jk/ơt
/ət/
i/i/ i,
y
/i/		 ∅ iu
/iw/		 im
/im/		 in
/in/ưn
/ɨn/		 inh
/iŋ/ưn
/ɨn/		 ip
/ip/		 it
/it/ưt
/ɨt/		 ich
/ik/ưt
/ɨt/
a/a/ a
/a/		 ai
/aj/		 ao
/aw/		 am
/am/		 an
/an/ang
/aŋ/		 ang
/aŋ/		 ap
/ap/		 at
/at/ac
/ak/		 ac
/ak/
ă/ă/ ∅ ay
/ăj/		 au
/ăw/		 ăm
/ăm/		 ăn
/ăn/ăng
/ăŋ/		 ăng
/ăŋ/		 ăp
/ăp/		 ăt
/ăt/ăc
/ăk/		 ăc
/ăk/
ơ/ə/ ơ
/ə/		 ơi
/əj/		 ơu
/əw/		 ơm
/əm/		 ơn
/ən/ơng
/əŋ/		 ơng
/əŋ/		 ơp
/əp/		 ơt
/ət/ơc
/ək/		 ơc
/ək/
â/ə̆/ ∅ ây
/ə̆j/		 âu
/ə̆w/		 âm
/ə̆m/		 ân
/ə̆n/âng
/ə̆ŋ/		 âng
/ə̆ŋ/		 âp
/ə̆p/		 ât
/ə̆t/âc
/ə̆k/		 âc
/ə̆k/
ư/ɨ/ ư
/ɨ/		 ưi
/ɨj/		 ưu
/ɨw/		 ưm
/ɨm/		 ưn
/ɨn/ưng
/ɨŋ/		 ưng
/ɨŋ/		 ưp
/ɨp/		 ưt
/ɨt/ưc
/ɨk/		 ưc
/ɨk/
o/ɔ/ o
/ɔ/		 oi
/ɔj/		 ∅ om
/ɔm/		 on
/ɔn/oong
/ɔŋ/		 ong
/ăwŋ/		 op
/ɔp/		 ot
/ɔt/ooc
/ɔk/		 oc
/ăwk/
ô/o/ ô
/o/		 ôi
/oj/		 ∅ ôm
/om/		 ôn
/on/ôông
/oŋ/		 ông
/ə̆wŋ/		 ôp
/op/		 ôt
/ot/ôôc
/ok/		 ôc
/ə̆wk/
u/u/ u
/u/		 ui
/uj/		 ∅ um
/um/		 un
/un/ung
/uŋ/		 ung
/uŋ/		 up
/up/		 ut
/ut/uc
/uk/		 uc
/uk/
iê/iə/ ia
/iə/		 ∅ iêu,
yêu
/iəw/iu
/iw/		 iêm,
yêm
/iəm/im
/im/		 iên,
yên
/iən/ing
/iːŋ/		 iêng,
yêng
/iəŋ/ing
/iːŋ/		 iêp,
yêp
/iəp/ip
/ip/		 iêt,
yêt
/iət/ic
/iːk/		 iêc,
yêc
/iək/ic
/iːk/
ươ/ɨə/ ưa
/ɨə/		 ươi
/ɨəj/ưi
/ɨj/		 ươu
/ɨəw/ưu
/ɨw/		 ươm
/ɨəm/ưm
/ɨm/		 ươn
/ɨən/ưưng
/ɨːŋ/		 ương
/ɨəŋ/ưưng
/ɨːŋ/		 ươp
/ɨəp/ưp
/ɨp/		 ươt
/ɨət/ưưc
/ɨːk/		 ươc
/ɨək/ưưc
/ɨːk/
uô/uə/ ua
/uə/		 uôi
/uəj/ui
/uj/		 ∅ uôm
/uəm/um
/um/		 uôn
/uən/uung
/uːŋ/		 uông
/uəŋ/uung
/uːŋ/		 uôp
/uəp/up
/up/		 uôt
/uət/uuc
/uːk/		 uôc
/uək/uuc
/uːk/
Medial
/w/		 oe/wɛ/ oe,
(q)ue
/wɛ/		 ∅ oeo,
(q)ueo
/wɛw/		 oem,
(q)uem
/wɛm/		 oen,
(q)uen
/wɛn/oeng,
(q)ueng
/wɛŋ/		 oanh,
(q)uanh
/wăjŋ/oăn,
(q)uăn
/wăn/		 oep,
(q)uep
/wɛp/		 oet,
(q)uet
/wɛt/oec,
(q)uec
/wɛk/		 oach,
(q)uach
/wăjk/oăt,
(q)uăt
/wăt/
uê/we/ uê
/we/		 ∅ uêu
/wew/		 uêm
/wem/		 uên
/wen/uơn
/wən/		 uênh
/wə̆jŋ/uơn
/wən/		 uêp
/wep/		 uêt
/wet/uơt
/wət/		 uêch
/wə̆jk/uơt
/wət/
uy/wi/ uy
/wi/		 ∅ uyu
/wiw/		 uym
/wim/		 uyn
/win/uưn
/wɨn/		 uynh
/wiŋ/uưn
/wɨn/		 uyp
/wip/		 uyt
/wit/uưt
/wɨt/		 uych
/wik/uưt
/wɨt/
oa/wa/ oa,
(q)ua
/wa/		 oai,
(q)uai
/waj/		 oao,
(q)uao
/waw/		 oam,
(q)uam
/wam/		 oan,
(q)uan
/wan/oang,
(q)uang
/waŋ/		 oang,
(q)uang
/waŋ/		 oap,
(q)uap
/wap/		 oat,
(q)uat
/wat/oac,
(q)uac
/wak/		 oac,
(q)uac
/wak/
oă/wă/ ∅ oay,
(q)uay
/wăj/		 oau,
(q)uau
/wăw/		 oăm,
(q)uăm
/wăm/		 oăn,
(q)uăn
/wăn/oăng,
(q)uăng
/wăŋ/		 oăng,
(q)uăng
/wăŋ/		 oăp,
(q)uăp
/wăp/		 oăt,
(q)uăt
/wăt/oăc,
(q)uăc
/wăk/		 oăc,
(q)uăc
/wăk/
uơ/wə/ uơ
/wə/		 uơi
/wəj/		 uơu
/wəw/		 uơm
/wəm/		 uơn
/wən/uơng
/wəŋ/		 uơng
/wəŋ/		 uơp
/wəp/		 uơt
/wət/uơc
/wək/		 uơc
/wək/
uâ/wə̆/ ∅ uây
/wə̆j/		 uâu
/wə̆w/		 uâm
/wə̆m/		 uân
/wə̆n/uâng
/wə̆ŋ/		 uâng
/wə̆ŋ/		 uâp
/wə̆p/		 uât
/wə̆t/uâc
/wə̆k/		 uâc
/wə̆k/
uyê/wiə/ uya
/wiə/		 ∅ uyêu
/wiəw/uyu
/wiw/		 uyêm
/wiəm/uym
/wim/		 uyên
/wiən/uyng
/wiːŋ/		 uyêng
/wiəŋ/uyng
/wiːŋ/		 uyêp
/wiəp/uyp
/wip/		 uyêt
/wiət/uyc
/wiːk/		 uyêc
/wiək/uyc
/wiːk/
Double ee/ɛː/ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ eng
/ɛŋ/		 ∅ ∅ ec
/ɛk/
êê/eː/ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ êng
/eŋ/		 ∅ ∅ êc
/ek/
oo/ɔː/ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ oong
/ɔŋ/		 ∅ ∅ ooc
/ɔk/
ôô/oː/ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ ∅ ôông
/oŋ/		 ∅ ∅ ôôc
/ok/

Pay attention to those rimes in cyan. As mentioned above, they are brand new features of the Southern dialect that are not found in the standard sound system. A special attention must be paid to the rimes of diphthongs, which have become long monophthongs:

Short (standard) Long
Spelling IPA Standard spelling Southern dialect respelling IPA
inh /iŋ/ iên, yên, iêng, yêng ing /iːŋ/
ich /ik/ iêt, yêt, iêc, yêc ic /iːk/
ung /uŋ/ uôn, uông uung /uːŋ/
uc /uk/ uôt, uôc uuc /uːk/
ưng /ɨŋ/ ươn, ương ưưng /ɨːŋ/
ưc /ɨk/ ươt, ươc ưưc /ɨːk/
uynh /wiŋ/ uyên, uyêng uyng /wiːŋ/
uych /wik/ uyêt, uyêc uyc /wiːk/

Minor features

Minor features don’t apply to all speakers, all regions or all words, and are not mandatory (which means it doesn’t sound weird or pretentious if they aren’t implemented), but they are still common. Even for the same speaker and the same word, there can be inconsistencies.

Be careful because these features are a little advanced. You should get rather familiar and comfortable with the dialect and its major features before trying to bring in the minor features.

(Medial + ) Vowel Becomes Rime Becomes
ă a ay ai
au ao
â ă ây ay
âu au
âm ăm
âp ăp
ô o ôi oi
ông ong
ôc oc
o & ô ơ ~ â ôm, om ơm ~ âm
ôp, op ơp ~ âp
u ư um ưm
up ưp
oa o oai oi
oan on ⇒ oong
oat ot ⇒ ooc
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