 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
* S0 C0 p8 s4 CInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the8 {0 \2 p- W2 k) u
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
M( N; D( X9 J Z7 D1 ^and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial3 Y! z( W( |* g+ Y' W
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
# s5 R4 _9 A1 u, q* h( H+ bretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)." M' @6 ?% w( d* b' \4 U
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=; { ]5 b o* w" r T& G
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]# p, I- B" |; J7 l* f4 z: I& y- r
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
; |# g! P6 U& H8 y% c) Lretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
( s: x; `( |6 D* ` Xpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset5 j i8 u8 R" M8 e
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
1 {- k1 N1 o" ]3 Isegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a1 d) ~- ?' g$ _ _; v
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
0 x$ A7 ] K4 j* E' s& tend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In# X( m3 V2 a$ s# c7 N* l
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
6 R3 G) H% j, S) p2 r% jthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..& H- \7 r7 G) s0 J9 h: {
6 J, b+ ~9 F) J5 X(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
& A8 r' {3 W% b [and American speakers of English, |
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