 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
4 y8 V/ U1 r* Z4 {0 U0 k& @4 XInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the* Z5 q' N) g- w' l' X, L3 T: O$ h" [
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
: w& `! t1 K# D& J% i, n$ cand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
) Z4 |4 n" U0 @9 q- e% m(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of p# v/ G" G3 M. a1 \, o, |
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
7 ]0 x/ z! m# n% W" Z/ vA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
5 V( f6 z% J7 c& b J9 R[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
: f8 }1 ~* j; q4 O; d% ?: a(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving6 b. Q0 g' d: }$ e% @9 x7 z5 z; m
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
$ [5 x2 B0 i6 J% x tpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! c* O4 _! D4 B3 Q1 Y. a& o
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two2 I* X2 b0 E0 J! q( S7 b
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
+ G4 G+ H& A/ k% Osemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.( ]+ K7 w! x$ f/ o7 O) B n
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In7 e1 Q" e2 H$ F2 T) v9 I% N/ a
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,8 O5 h# u/ W* E: k1 k) l: y- Q
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
4 Y; E# p) e# E( Z5 G) _3 C! V- M2 X8 s; @" \3 D
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)2 R4 x4 N4 V$ d6 o
and American speakers of English, |
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