 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
9 k# R% ?/ P8 Y9 b0 N: v9 c- sInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the- K) p7 a# H: X3 Y/ s4 e- k
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,( D6 b: F# i6 H K
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial4 h9 \5 u3 ~, e% s1 ~( N
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
( G3 b) F" @! c" {: q- xretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).4 g; C! G% Y- c/ W; j
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=0 z5 Y# }* ^1 C& E4 f
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
0 V1 @( Z& e" {& I3 u$ m; i7 R(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving7 p4 W: X7 \1 G9 G5 w/ u% Y% _+ H* ^
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
, u( Y4 t# V* s2 |& e# P* U0 Z/ Qpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset% P% P2 F; `7 W* b* L
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two( Q, y/ \+ K/ ^, x: J2 @
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a8 T" } ^' ]; Y! R5 {" f& `
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.) r: U, N* d! ^2 i# q- v
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In2 ^% }4 z" ~- l9 Y- H
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
6 F# C6 ?% o& @0 w, I8 e [ G% j( zthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
: V: N* j1 z( ^5 Y$ F" c$ ^+ t8 C) g" d, h1 u
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)) G2 m/ u( q0 a1 m8 M
and American speakers of English, |
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