 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The2 s+ d/ m! }) U2 j
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
) \0 o' _$ d0 ]% f5 msyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
/ y9 ~* i$ C& e, W9 p5 W1 `and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial& n( \# q# T& K! y4 d7 v/ n& `
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of# x! Z1 \7 }" ^/ b% R& y
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
( O: |- V6 u; @7 ^2 u- xA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
7 o/ ~- T5 k& v3 v4 w[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
& k6 ]# ]+ }( B$ G$ l(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
' d. V( n1 P% @1 lretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
/ g! U; @! U, x9 v+ k5 ^possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset4 y- Y9 `" K% e6 R5 f( R
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two- J( O/ n7 O6 J' i6 A! Q5 u$ D
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' B- f/ q/ y- f' o
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e. Y: }( D$ @# x
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
: E) A; \0 k( Gcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
e) n' z* Q# U4 ^ n2 C7 lthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..' Q+ |2 U& N; w7 Q9 O8 H. h
9 V% E! s; T- V6 H3 J$ {(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
9 t/ a7 \7 Z3 Land American speakers of English, |
|