 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The3 }* |$ o4 r$ `& s
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the8 Z$ N# S5 ^, \" ~5 Y* j+ X
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
0 l. ^; J* g7 ~1 H& ?and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial$ a3 m2 y# `( x8 d
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
% j4 b, T j! r3 }/ r; _7 J$ bretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
8 R' ~; {2 B1 i) EA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
* l- z9 S+ K: D1 ]% i[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
& s0 C% y, I( z1 p: C4 b, _) B, d(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving! W! U& r: y$ V2 g" @
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
2 k# o/ Y+ l- s0 r5 r9 X1 Spossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset h0 W0 a$ _ `9 X
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two. t% D1 O" u ] N9 ~! G) |" Q+ c
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a3 h* Z3 Y' L' w6 H0 L- f+ c
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
0 D# K. b: i6 K( \; U* ^' A. A9 gend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
* H6 X1 F! ?$ V( H2 R. fcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
. Y/ I' j% H, h: M9 _5 Tthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..6 B& ?$ M" z: t3 y- m9 p
2 [" g2 ]1 M: x% f! i" {. o8 J2 ~(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
" J* Q8 B8 j4 J3 r% W4 M& }% J: kand American speakers of English, |
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