 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- G& x7 p( P+ ]3 i+ yInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
3 v- T) d! J6 ?! t4 r! U, p4 P% {syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
) j2 @! |# q. yand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
0 A* {/ E/ }& T(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of9 Y5 p9 l- j3 V* Z8 U. m6 @
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)." s. r3 H% A3 m6 ^
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
5 ]2 [# Q4 G- }5 w; Z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]6 n/ v8 z4 ?4 ^# Y0 F
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving& Q( \( |7 b" W. t. o$ M+ r
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
; X7 T: d( x% z; q1 e7 upossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' F- q: ?& g8 M- ?
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
0 d9 b9 \, B! n; m0 Isegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a- a# J8 k* Y) S/ C* E
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
9 J1 V. c# M; i& Q! h7 yend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In9 [6 t# E, f- _" m) x T
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
2 v- {7 \; e3 |: N# I9 Q7 a9 Pthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..( Q; Q. t# Z0 q& B) d3 b' F4 u
! o. R5 n- \5 a$ z* Y9 z
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
# a/ s+ _' w* W% `$ I+ Y6 k( Sand American speakers of English, |
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