 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
9 J( D7 p, @ ~7 uInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& ?" X. u; f& A# A4 r$ Isyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,* ?! @( J) b: v) E" p
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial; K& Q+ i0 E( c- v$ ^$ j
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
|+ M* n0 a3 ?& h) R L- z$ y Q# Aretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
- w C9 \& B* C0 ^5 [% PA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
6 X$ f$ M, Q" I( t' Q[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
& M; n# A) M4 i9 E(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
e1 v$ d/ p& zretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
! q) }, o( o& \possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
- W' y3 X; {+ c3 t(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two6 ?0 i4 h- _8 o, B/ \
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
* x- T% u/ a( Z k- _3 a* Ssemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
* H* @, Z4 }5 \5 x1 _( |end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In7 [% a* O. Q& m; z# p
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
% M0 c: y* `9 e& j5 k1 vthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
0 e; u, t3 \! }3 P3 ]
% E% A" k7 q7 l7 W3 D(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)- R- e1 L: T2 b7 i
and American speakers of English, |
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