 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The5 q$ v$ P, h" ?, G( Y, c ]$ ~
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
3 S8 F& c/ a* @2 bsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,0 {3 R5 }+ z$ Q: y! m# y) ?
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
) x- V6 L1 u, B, C9 G& X(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
# J+ L( o6 B$ ~retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).9 Z r* o. E: g
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=8 e2 r1 U- S5 G: e- E5 P) u
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]/ D& j9 \; Z& i4 Y
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving/ K3 J4 T- m( \
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on( k3 }# D5 r" b
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset4 D& n0 c, i$ ]; N
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two. h+ Y: u- V5 w: |* J: R. F
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
# Q" Y+ _7 O8 msemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 w5 n, y5 U: q9 D( Yend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* x M! A% b* p, V$ t; |! y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# F H: P" k' r0 f' h$ ?' B
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
& i- h' h7 [0 g- F! ^. T- V- y9 T( d9 U) T- Z, g9 Z
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)! m, k) C, C+ k# {
and American speakers of English, |
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