 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( g8 h7 s% {7 }/ x% NInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
! W* L& N+ h. S( x H# l& w! Lsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,' J, r0 w& e/ ^* ^9 r' V) t/ _
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
" d4 `; t% N, ^7 x4 G(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of X$ h5 \$ X+ v: n- ?) }
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).! y: e, j1 [' D% M( k# e8 l+ \
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
: X' k4 ]! X2 L6 X* W% @[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
* b- V- y/ ? o2 h0 x+ G( ^(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
7 E1 D( L- O: H3 O6 M4 lretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
. d. `/ }( z( |( G8 y$ Hpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset4 j. @* n( g- v. n! w' t# H" G4 Y
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two% {$ ?8 E* d# q1 O6 I) n
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
! h4 X/ i5 [) g! P; B3 r' L& Lsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
- K% A1 }% E0 ?" R! G# r( o$ \* S/ Bend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In' ~7 n0 i) W4 F" @
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
1 i8 C8 a5 P1 G6 m- Cthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
3 y6 P, k7 D; ?) ]" t: [+ R- q% ^4 D; @6 `$ u
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
$ y, P; Y _5 Iand American speakers of English, |
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