 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- j+ `# C/ H" s; E' \Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
. m7 E' }2 R7 Qsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,9 n& N" f6 q; i. |9 H$ o2 P& Y9 X
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
" k/ X6 G* V8 n1 n& [(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
# T( W$ }0 f6 `( qretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).2 a4 t: O* }* M7 Z$ H1 K8 O
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=7 V! n; t. i, b7 D
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
! N% |* f# l3 }# Y; m! g2 a. H(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving2 a+ x7 E0 ]6 P" f
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
3 |$ Q1 D- T) apossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' l# u/ \) C2 M
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two" z* N c/ L5 M6 z" e2 E# ^4 e
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a# u* g5 i, j# a0 ~
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
E. d% X9 H7 U. cend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
; _% G6 g* ]% t; L0 O! Fcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,) x& z0 H$ Q1 O& x4 q/ D+ h
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..& X7 q( Z5 X2 b* R, t$ z
- j+ m3 ^" r9 u(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)3 O& m8 M$ f: V
and American speakers of English, |
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