 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The* A, h- B5 \9 |7 J, b
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the8 R6 d% k+ ^) H, J, o, \: n
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in, K$ h) K/ D7 v% f: j; Q9 [
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
5 k) m$ Y. s6 A- e* i: C(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
+ l, }2 c, z% A1 U7 E7 q; Z) Nretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
; q8 i" s! r4 k5 b; l6 p0 bA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=+ n4 o L, V2 O& l9 W8 H* A- R
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
( U. R6 }0 J2 e) a$ C. Z. _(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
% C; r4 a1 n( D5 y/ b$ {retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on3 b6 \4 j5 [2 J; n+ p/ W3 x' t
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
% d/ H1 T1 M$ p2 c/ F* L(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
" C0 z& u/ H3 m, F3 H8 u; b. C) Fsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
. I& l8 ^0 N7 \7 m4 w: ?semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.4 I4 k8 i) u3 E* S' G* q0 Y
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
; c: u6 [$ `6 P' Gcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
$ c1 a( D, e& A3 w6 f, zthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
" d# w( O5 k d/ _2 N: T! ~3 X3 `* |# h A! x% Z2 e( q6 d
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
( M* w. a0 [ J7 Hand American speakers of English, |
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