The MLT alphabet adopts the Latin alphabet of 26 letters and the Scandinavian letter ø to express the basic sounds of Taiwanese: A MLT word, like each English word, can be formed by only one syllable or several syllables, with the two syllables being the most typical. Each syllable in MLT follows either one of the two underlying patterns :
The nasals m, n, and ng can be appended to any of the vowels and some of the diphthongs. In addition, m and ng can function as independent syllables by themselves. The stops h/q, k/g, p/b and t/d can appear as the last letter in a syllable, in which case they are pronounced with no audible release. TMSS originally prescribed two special characters: the Greek letter ν and an o crossed by a backslash. These were replaced with the Latin letterv and number 0, respectively. Because mixing numbers into words is problematic for spell checkers, 0 was subsequently replaced by ø.
Tones
Not only consonants and vowel sounds, but also tones are represented by letters in the MLT system. Certain letters have no sound of their own and are merely used as tone indicators. Others letters represent vowels or vowel combinations which have certain tones. For example, "f", "r", and "x" are tone indicators only, and have no sound of their own in MLT. "Af" represents the "a" sound with a "high" tone, "ar" represents the same vowel sound but with a "shouting" tone, "ax" is the "a" sound with the low falling tone. A "y" or "w" indicates a high tone "i" and "u", respectively, while certain diphthongs, such as "ie" and "uo", are treated as "shouting" tones. The basic tone is represented by a normal, simple vowel without any special spelling modification.
High Tone
A high tone is derived by raising the pitch of the voice to a level somewhat above the basic tone and is normally represented by adding the tone indicator "f" after a vowel, with the exception of the “i” and “u” sounds in a syllable. A high tone "i" and a high tone "u" are denoted by "y" and "w", respectively.
Shouting-out Tone
A shouting-out tone is derived from shouting out a basic tone, and is normally represented by adding a tone indicator "r" after a vowel. When compound vowels are present in the shouting tone, however, sounds which by the normal rule would otherwise be written are instead spelled "ae", "ie", "uo", "ea", and "ao", respectively. Exceptions occur when this rule overlaps with other rules. For example, the shouting tone of "lin" is written "lirn", not "lien" even though "lie" is the "shouting" counterpart to "li".
Low-falling tone
The low-falling tone is always marked by appending an "x" to the rearmost vowel.
Rising tone
The rising tone is denoted according to the following rules:
Simple vowel: simply repeat the vowel.
Compound vowel: repeat the last vowel letter except when it contains an “a”, then just repeat the “a”. In the case of ø, use øo rather than øø.
Short tone
The low stopping tones are indicated by switching the final stops with the high stopping tones' as follows: h->q, t->d, p->b, k->g.
Examples
Examples for the seven tones:
1 : ty
2 : bea
3 : pax
4 : aq
5 : zoaa
7 : chviu
8 : lok
Special Symbols
The apostrophe is used to demarcate syllables when there is ambiguity. A hyphen is used to join two or more isolated words to make a new compound word with its own meaning. When a word contains a grave accent, all the syllables after this mark are accented in the low tone.
Comparison chart
History of MLT
The Pe̍h-ōe-jī system, introduced in the 19th century, provides a basis for phonetic transcription of the Taiwanese language using the Latin alphabet. It initially developed a significant user base, but the number of users declined during the period of Japanese colonization of Taiwan, when the use of POJ was suppressed in preference to katakana, and also during the era of martial law, during which Mandarin Chinese was promoted. Prof. Liim Keahioong, formerly of the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, Taiwan, pioneered the Taiwanese Modern Spelling System in 1943, with the intent to avoid the diacritical markings of POJ as well as the cumbersome difficulty of inputting Chinese characters with the available technology. TMSS served as the basis for Modern Literal Taiwanese, also known as Modern Taiwanese Language. Other variants of MLT exist, such as Phofsit Daibuun and Simplified MLT.
