 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
* \ y p* K$ E$ T; f- EInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the% l3 u- ?' @6 ]/ i6 V
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,( [" _; j- |$ B" \
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
: I1 U) E: a: U0 s& j& U1 v(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
U- m0 a( V) m$ U. s7 E) P3 vretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).- j2 k, X$ H- {
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=3 u3 {+ n6 }: t2 G3 [& e+ v
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]: u% t$ {8 d$ K9 {2 K) A
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
4 \ C- W0 X8 }) Y/ j8 @retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on# u6 a3 q/ Q# _) ^ g0 p. [1 F
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset. t3 Q0 n' Y, ~/ i, }6 s/ ?+ _: p
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
$ j- X# h! z' n0 p: s0 l0 Wsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
2 p; P- E- C" J7 o* x8 Isemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.7 w: B1 X1 b" k3 w( r# K
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
0 g# a D( b6 q; U' pcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
6 t6 `8 {& I: r/ m @ T3 E' [' ithe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla... A( D' C* E) s
/ ^2 A+ [' h* U6 W \" [2 j7 w8 D. f(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)# f3 [ o, c3 f1 @6 {
and American speakers of English, |
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