 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
1 x- ~0 m$ u, e5 Q# x sInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
+ Q8 V9 g. u1 zsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
! U# I% {2 h& t7 Q( }and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
) [# ?, I3 u# w$ |- b* r(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
5 t9 h3 s, g& q& cretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).7 ?; j9 u$ ]) v- a' I. e5 j& j% M
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
3 n2 Z1 g0 T K% {$ W[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]7 G* @( Q8 l8 `
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving/ M/ I9 s* i% ` Z8 a" P
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
" [5 {' {1 ^7 q& L8 opossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
9 `2 V3 P# E) c) {' M+ q(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two" \/ A. a+ }5 O4 L
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a8 q% j @ }5 k- ] C. S
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
. G/ [+ n$ K: t! Z; X' v) Qend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
. t4 Q: _' L# {# Q, w" M5 @, Tcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,% K! c* k! E6 x
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..4 b o! y1 V% j5 {
+ w9 O. l4 F3 ](source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)5 D0 s' \% m5 O5 ?
and American speakers of English, |
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