 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% f; j. {8 q& M/ V
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the5 B0 b) j' `5 `2 S
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
7 ?( x* m1 I. x0 y# aand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial$ a, C6 o* n4 _" L, p+ X2 l% k9 x
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of2 b$ r# S) p! o. Y4 _$ J
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).7 S( \# P# R- ~9 _; G+ _3 F
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
0 F# j2 h8 T, Q4 P[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]) M' o& M$ Q, I% |4 s
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
" H' l* L0 ?" w; a, a1 [retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
" l. ]! E5 o9 f6 Q- K% Ipossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! H7 p; s E: d* h8 q6 Q
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
$ N+ m9 u3 m( ~3 w ^' D4 ]' C Osegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a, @* G0 F, Q4 V( x- X
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
+ h' ]4 P- v0 K5 O) k* ~3 Pend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In" w4 d% L4 Q4 [- J: ]
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
0 U! J' {: x" P0 y7 z3 ~- U; sthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..5 z; ]: q& R: {) X
7 v! j2 h, S2 X( c
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)! ?) s. n2 d6 p
and American speakers of English, |
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