 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- ~( ?. }! M4 T9 J$ U7 T) CInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the2 w2 z5 H3 Q) }( S8 y" |6 Y
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,: k. K6 z% _0 y/ L" u2 @
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial: b2 F: ^& c) y
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
; u5 [0 \) s( _( a+ K. a% f$ a6 Rretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)./ R/ t# @- `. c$ ~
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (= r5 ]" u; @3 F. I
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
5 @' [& S! w4 K, n, y; F(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving5 f0 V% ^% t/ \( o
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
& r& r w# i& k$ m0 Upossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
' c4 a: K1 s- {) K: ?(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two6 K" h* V Q: V I
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a$ `' p o9 z" \" j
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.8 `9 T1 Z. ?1 q. g
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In& O6 `1 g# S* b! n" e7 q8 P
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
, N1 B* k3 b; X# ?# G8 K; M. M/ Pthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
5 `& J4 Z2 E( A
! p! S/ O7 ^# I! r" {" u: S; K& e6 Y Q(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch); F1 w2 L& h+ A7 F5 f) H/ u4 }2 O. L8 m
and American speakers of English, |
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