 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The# e, |( z/ b& X4 E$ O$ B
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
( v$ J+ p. l8 b! r9 Q5 O; l% osyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
% H+ p7 e# k: a }, `and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
5 C R$ M' |6 h" K(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of- ~' K' X* v2 G9 g
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
1 ^. _. J) k2 C2 x: n5 n* v- ?A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
" l0 s. p/ z, J# t% o2 [* L[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]. m; x" [# R7 ~3 h* T9 @: ?
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving/ S% {6 T. Y2 C: c9 |/ z9 t* T' S& b
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
( C+ C0 Y6 ^! ?% T9 [$ upossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
$ Z& G0 J w" L4 X+ H3 b8 Y(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two; N' @9 h- J7 p
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a5 m) w$ x. m& m( J* `+ h" I8 g- }+ i% A
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
# O _8 n1 R x* [end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
9 {( B, g5 @4 K3 M6 |) q' M7 s* u7 mcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
, k. d% Z8 V- T1 Kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..1 q& i* P5 J9 c5 {2 U" d
& U6 W7 @5 c6 r. Q `# o1 J3 S; E
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)1 H; f! {$ j' N4 N7 H' }( P
and American speakers of English, |
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