Rimes in the Southern dialect

The rimes in the Southern dialect (Saigon a.k.a. HCM city) are pronounced quite differently from the standard rimes.

There are major and minor features. Major features apply to the majority of the speakers. In contrast, minor features don’t apply to the majority.

Major features

Major features of the Southern dialect include:

  • The final consonant n is pronounced as ng except when the vowel is ê or i.
  • The final consonant ng is pronounced as n when the vowel is e, ê or i (vowel change included).
  • The diphthongs are pronounced as long monophthongs when there is a final consonant (and even when there isn’t):

    • /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 the 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 pronunciation spelling also violates the rules of the standard writing system) can be highlighted in cyan. (Highlight only works with Southern mode.)

For example, the rime anh is pronounced like how the rime ăn, not anh, is pronounced in the standard way, so it will be highlighted in green. On the other hand, the rime iên is pronounced /iːŋ/, which doesn’t exist in the standard rime system, so it will be highlighted in cyan.

  • 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/

Minor features

Minor features are the features that aren’t “core” or systematic. They don’t apply to all speakers, all regions or all words, and in general aren’t 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 bit 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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