 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
0 G' B- b# e5 LInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
/ ~2 q& [ h& j* s, i" V/ r! z/ t* ?syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,7 N: J/ U& `0 h0 D1 D! n& i
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
2 H' z" p; Z- |8 d(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
9 o$ k) Q( X/ E' G3 L. S. n8 Bretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
9 @, H+ G/ _% vA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
- ^1 ]7 D+ N. L) {' D6 _% D2 ][y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
3 k6 D. ]- W+ _1 A1 }% z(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
3 B" c! F. w3 qretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on1 J! ?8 L/ h1 t2 M: D+ m$ z' q) G
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset- [$ E2 i5 U* y# {8 L$ K9 k
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
% s, J% x i0 m; n8 x" [9 Csegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a3 ?; i' e0 F# u3 Q7 [* g
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.6 U7 d6 i% H. i( a* u4 L
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In6 B* _0 @+ Z! }3 n
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
& ^" }$ G/ C' V- bthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..& V, ^# Q H& o" d( y8 }) ?
& l' W: g9 q3 i! a5 ]4 `$ p6 h/ z# O
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)+ [( D: ^6 g( N {6 G
and American speakers of English, |
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