 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The8 ]6 X1 K- c/ ?2 D) N4 c! H
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& k2 a- f6 W8 f( fsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,( d- P/ v0 a' y6 q" R
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
: Y/ y: c6 k3 o- u% S) ~8 v(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of* o8 y" v, `7 J. u; O% @; x
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
, s4 K2 }" _( _$ d3 P! r3 lA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=. l8 o& z( {4 U* b( ]- t5 m1 x _
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]7 P: T2 V, a' ^
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving3 Q# R; E; D1 e
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
9 _: z0 v' Q' i; \/ Dpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset7 r, U v; _7 {: S
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two5 @( L) V- v4 K$ Q
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a* G( _' u. k5 m+ N
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
7 M/ g6 s7 i; W5 Q1 j& \5 ~end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In- i# g9 V2 E8 \* K1 r/ m( S6 _0 Y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,3 d) k2 s1 v6 ^$ O7 [ p/ [
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..5 \' z# t g6 Q. g9 f
& k% P" I' m% |5 y
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch) y @7 y8 y0 T$ f' o
and American speakers of English, |
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