 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
1 U0 m5 z, n2 `) x& yInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the8 S3 Y. z: o6 w) F+ B4 k# Y& B
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,; Z- e/ H. a! W9 c) ?( S5 o
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
: A8 |' n+ W, g& {9 s7 V(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 ]& v3 O, Q V# Fretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
q! @3 m" E+ t* N! LA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=$ Z5 T3 m# `) I3 r* m' O# s: G* ^/ [& z
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]; V# P. `% O. }2 a; p
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving" `) Z) T+ m- Z4 l( ?5 g& o
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
: ?. y: n! w3 E% E5 xpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset# ~" D" V' w6 u; q$ d
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
, ^4 M- o1 y1 t: vsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
3 Z7 p- S# ]& u/ p- h% @4 U& psemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
% X# ^& N% _, b$ W+ B2 Mend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In# R0 V/ m. n/ _% k! G
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,) ?" g4 H1 F% z; h) O, _
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
2 W, j- J+ M* W& |! F# [( C. h# c9 j3 k3 F7 I# y6 g
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)! Z" d5 ~& A% v8 F- }/ g& ^
and American speakers of English, |
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