 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
7 m1 t9 @( t# s2 K) a) `2 rInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the8 Z% i: H1 o1 P. @. ]
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,$ R- P) z% U5 |
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
/ {3 T% d8 v/ E(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
0 y+ Q7 q* \8 t: O6 zretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
0 K- o; j1 W; H. k: _$ FA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
& g2 y& Y5 }8 n' P& z2 f L[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]# W8 W$ L0 N: `" i6 }/ x& X6 C# h
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
) e" R' O' g0 I- I$ L9 _5 `: Vretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on5 n& r* u, U2 t7 [& Q
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset/ e# |- O! C5 E9 e P* ~
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two4 u) Y. h$ l% @% d7 }
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a( V" Z- s4 j0 J8 O
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
* t+ i! _- U- ^/ send with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In( n: a/ g3 g1 @" ?( H
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
3 L, L `6 @" h+ ] pthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..8 y( [/ c5 Z" Z7 s6 w# _' _
" M: k% m" X9 d: h(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch): s8 e0 G0 R- t5 R" P9 f5 Z- p
and American speakers of English, |
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