 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
. ~0 c p& M4 {7 L+ J0 ZInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the; c+ H5 q. L: f+ h' y; O
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
4 |- h( v' W' F" w, D2 Z2 kand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
4 j) t4 p' n. P. E2 U+ ]( p(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
+ t+ ]1 q$ z) cretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
9 L1 [5 Z* V, G$ o" i0 mA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
1 W- A5 h8 N5 t8 W[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]; }0 Y' w( `! w* Q
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving/ M" |6 P! R& g. s& W- J
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
" p7 X( A2 N! N0 P. lpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
. I2 z5 \. M T/ z5 Y(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two* I1 r* F4 a. `
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a* r4 O# u. i) ]2 q
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
- m' x* I0 Z9 g B/ h6 M5 Hend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In& r% b- z2 A/ _3 I' F) W7 \0 H
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
$ V. D: P" n2 k% w7 |3 n7 S1 s1 Z- k, Kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..2 W3 [* Z0 j! t
+ k) b- @- X0 b(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)$ V6 q" |( t2 _6 _
and American speakers of English, |
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