 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The5 ~1 g1 N; x5 @) \8 F/ L
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the, X8 }" L- }, |/ A4 e( l% d
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,/ Z- ]5 I) g0 m4 ~3 p
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
4 N/ s& V( \3 ~- R(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
, w$ I( K8 _: c0 r; I! k5 P$ Lretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)., S! s2 q; [; l# t
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=' l3 x1 U* C) i! H6 x! W
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]* L9 L7 U/ J0 x/ ~
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving2 ?, T7 C- P6 a: O) q1 D& X! }
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
/ S- F, R8 K0 |! v ^2 u: r* z Gpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset8 k* l2 ^' i" n' w9 m
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
: F) Z4 p0 R' I# }' p, B! Msegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a- x! ?' W& P, Y+ @1 {& l
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
9 q; D% v: N# Eend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
* m/ G) A8 p4 B+ p7 \: f: J& Ucompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
/ c6 c# m& F6 v }' }1 xthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
) V& N4 z& G* }" y2 q4 E% Q) E' E k& s( @
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
* r( E1 ~' c. M" D( T9 xand American speakers of English, |
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