 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- \7 C! w2 D# B0 e. `Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
$ ?: z7 `( R0 h# B0 xsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,- f R# }8 x& {/ o) h0 X
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
: ^6 d9 R/ f8 ^. G1 W(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of/ s4 p. y! Q$ m6 h0 k
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
, L4 H$ k: {* X. |0 eA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
1 Z7 G* i* d/ T- v- Y[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]; x0 z# ]- L; [' r7 a; D, E4 r
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
6 `' l$ B; }7 B: s1 X1 B% l3 ^retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on Q$ J6 [0 ~9 k! w" D) Z$ H9 \; ]
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset1 u6 G3 [% P7 J1 X. G! o
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two7 ~4 \3 @/ y4 Y6 R+ A r
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
7 s4 h3 V1 Q- N6 Csemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.) U/ K. |# a6 t4 Y7 b
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In7 L o( |+ m- g. l$ A
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
/ I" h# L3 C' K z1 `the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
/ ]2 h0 i0 Q* J* M- B# _; w
$ R1 l W5 R5 n2 O! l. Q(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
% `! h- A0 u( @4 K/ vand American speakers of English, |
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