 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The: i% O8 Z* e% e, J" z9 V& v& A
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the1 z: |5 l, g$ [8 d1 X# j. S
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
7 I7 l, Y# Q% x9 W( e9 d) i' band uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
]) u9 d/ h; q* d! S(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of8 q) U8 [7 e0 |/ Y7 t' C
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).5 T3 s, }3 C: C+ r4 O; q9 n
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
4 A. f) a+ C& P. @) h3 k[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
: z& B% U( |& p) u; R$ v4 o(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
2 W: ^; Z* v/ B: Bretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on! Y+ m2 X7 a* \# p) |0 ~
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset+ q. U/ w# I& K. z& G% N
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
1 `9 t( c0 H3 \+ g$ k: Usegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a& P4 E1 b: x: `9 A6 g
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 [+ N. t$ r3 Y* D4 U7 h @1 Cend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* Q1 G; [) S% Y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,3 W4 |' C) {' W) @) z
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
5 V1 z4 h: C" B, w) E$ F6 ]* L q
, {1 n! `3 p' X1 U% y9 F8 R: G(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
0 g- `: \6 r2 T4 Tand American speakers of English, |
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