 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( A% g8 Y G: W- Z3 kInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the( z0 @! x& ~3 @* Y$ l
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
' z& t+ F8 K( S. N2 D7 | ^8 ]' ~and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
9 @; g- T3 z+ x7 u9 g(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
H. i2 c. ~ A; f# E' jretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).9 c- s4 n" c/ G ?/ N
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
i1 h* B9 V) F[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]* J6 X. Y, D/ M& b1 r9 v
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
B' X0 a8 m+ |! Uretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
5 d3 t+ z6 C- L& n7 i$ Npossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset* v' w* F1 T+ h1 ^% M2 _0 p
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
, t, }4 F' m0 m6 Qsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
% ?( j& `9 F0 v+ D& |5 V) ^' S- W: b5 Jsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
" m8 k& @7 s) F" aend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In8 i+ ^3 i4 @+ m, M0 _8 u7 \- ~
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# y: f/ d; K; Q1 x% X
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
. ?3 k- c" W0 M' {' T# _4 g3 @7 Y
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)4 n1 [' X+ E, L! N" c$ F3 s: q
and American speakers of English, |
|