 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The x- l6 V* w+ I3 M$ k: ~7 o" Y
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the$ T( J, _( c/ s+ ?
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
. L: D: b$ \3 I/ `4 i$ E! T' i4 aand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
( T: X1 y0 |6 B4 I(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 P+ N2 L* d* I9 c4 e) [, }retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).7 m6 W U- V* t# s% I" c
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
8 E9 X4 }3 S; |# r' F% t7 I' w[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]9 j) n* b: Q/ O3 ?7 I5 o6 M, b
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving, B# p0 |8 J0 d( B2 A7 J2 J p B
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on0 \" e& e( p+ ?. Z( A
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
5 D# x; V8 l; s0 ^(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
- K" J4 S, t9 |. R9 Ysegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a1 i! v3 |3 u- d. e3 }$ z% t
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.& L x7 T/ a3 B9 V# Y! ~
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
" U( y8 J( a% ~& Fcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element," T& \. ?- N) p; @1 z. u7 \
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
: [) A/ g+ i* J' V! @" x7 h3 G- a! }
' K9 m. B( ~5 k& `0 |5 ?(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)+ o" P' X3 u6 i0 F
and American speakers of English, |
|