wider opening, approaching . For some speakers, especially younger ones, the vowel is often realized as , e.g. pronouncing / (, "to fly") as , and the vowel is either realized as , e.g. pronouncing / (, "pig") as , or as , e.g. pronouncing (, "woman") as . Tones For single syllables, there are seven tones: In addition to these tones, there is also a neutral tone. Tone sandhi As with other dialects of Hokkien, the tone sandhi rules are applied to every syllable but the final syllable in an utterance. The following is a summary of the rules: The yin level (33) and yang rising (22) tones do not undergo tone sandhi. The yang level and entering tones (24) are pronounced as the yang rising tone (22). The yin rising tone (554) is pronounced as the yang level tone (24). The departing tone (41) depends on the voicing of the initial consonant in Middle Chinese: If the Middle Chinese initial consonant is voiceless, it is pronounced as the yin rising tone (554). If the Middle Chinese initial consonant is voiced, it is pronounced as the yang rising tone (22). The yin entering (5) depends on the final consonant: If the final consonant is , or , it is pronounced as the yang level tone (24). If the final consonant is , it does not undergo tone sandhi. Notes References External links 當代泉州音字彙, a dictionary of Quanzhou speech Hokkien-language dialects Fujian Quanzhou