18 SENTENCE PARTICLES AND INTERJECTIONS

18.1 ROLE OF THE SENTENCE PARTICLE

18.1.1 PRONUNCIATION: TONE AND INTONATION

你	咁	快	想	收工	嗱?
Léih	gam	faai	séung	sāu-gūng	làh?
you	so	fast	want	finish-work	SFP
‘You want to finish work so soon, do you?’

18.2 SYNTAX OF SENTENCE-FINAL PARTICLES

18.2.1 TOPIC PARTICLES

你

呀，

唔好

再

等

喇!

佢

唔

會

返

嚟

嘅

喇

Léih

àh

mhóu

joi

dáng

la!

Kéuih

m̀h

wúih

fāan

lèih

ge

la

you

PRT

don’t

again

wait

SFP

s/he

not

will

back

come

SFP

SFP

‘You know, you really shouldn’t wait any longer. He’s not coming back.’

18.2.2 CLAUSE-FINAL PARTICLES

你	記住	喎，	唔好	話	俾	人	聽
Léih	gei-jyuh	wo	mhóu	wah	béi	yàhn	tēng
you	remember	SFP	don’t	say	to	people	hear
‘Now remember, don’t tell anyone.’

18.2.3 PARTICLE COMBINATIONS

佢	攞咗	第	一	名	添	嘅	喇	喎
Kéuih	ló-jó	daih	yāt	mìhng	tìm	ge	la	wo
s/he	take-PFV	number	one	place	too	SFP	SFP	SFP
‘And she got first place too, you know.’

18.3 FUNCTIONS OF THE PARTICLES

18.3.1 QUESTION PARTICLES

你	鍾唔鍾意	香港	呀?
Léih	jūng-m̀h-jūngyi	Hēunggóng	a?
you	like-not-like	Hong Kong	SFP
‘Do you like Hong Kong?’

18.3.3 IMPERATIVE AND PERSUASIVE PARTICLES

我	講	個	秘密	俾	你	聽	吖……
Ngóh	góng	go	beimaht	béi	léih	tēng	ā …
I	tell	CL	secret	for	you	listen	SFP
‘Let me tell you a secret …’

18.3.4 EVIDENTIAL PARTICLES

你	識	用	電腦	吖嘛?
Léih	sīk	yuhng	dihnlóuh	āmáh?
you	know	use	computer	SFP
‘You know how to use the computer, don’t you?’

18.3.5 EXCLAMATORY AND AFFECTIVE PARTICLES

好	平	啫!	買	俾	我	啦
Hóu	pèhng	jē!	Máaih	béi	ngóh	lā
very	cheap	SFP	buy	for	me	SFP
‘It’s a bargain! Why don’t you buy it for me?’

18.3.6 ADVERBIAL PARTICLES

睇吓	你	煮	得	好唔好食	先
Tái-háh	léih	jyú	dāk	hóu-mhóusihk	sìn
see-DEL	you	cook	ADV	good-not-good-eat	SFP
‘Let’s see how good your cooking is!’

18.4 INTERJECTIONS

18.4.1 PLACE-FILLERS

啲	肉	醃咗，	咁	呢，	就	好食	啲
Dī	yuhk	yip-jó	gám	lē	jauh	hóu-sihk	dī
CL	meat	marinate-PFV	so	SFP	then	good-eat	a-bit
‘If you marinate the meat, you see, it tastes better.’

18.4.2 EXCLAMATIONS

哎吔!	又	唔記得	帶	鎖匙	喇!
Āiya!	Yauh	mgeidāk	daai	sósìh	la!
oh	again	forget	bring	key	SFP
‘Oh no, I’ve forgotten my keys again!’