 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( l; R7 z4 g; PInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the# H" j1 r f( {- {$ y9 i
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
* d* r" l# Z# s2 {and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial! ], v3 [( j/ ], m- O* y: A1 V, c
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of8 H% j0 g# F( [! |
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
4 u' s5 K/ C( `& pA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
: p. H" c2 U) B) M& m" k4 H[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
7 m2 ~+ {8 {7 I) K' _(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving, i p) |# V$ x6 q( w
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
4 w& ?9 Y6 U# O; v! ~ T" epossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset. f, d( j- ?9 H: C2 _# v
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
/ h% Q/ \2 E1 f! J0 nsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
2 P9 [! B& W' I" r/ A& T- lsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.% A: u) K8 f" p1 g
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In _9 B) s8 W6 U" n% J& Y4 M3 o$ @
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
6 g+ B# Q/ {* N$ T3 ^8 _6 A: Cthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..6 W6 h# N+ X( ]* f3 h& v
4 q: J' Q9 e7 B# Z
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)' I( Y- ^5 ~$ d# y- `0 q# N( [
and American speakers of English, |
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