 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
8 t; C5 b' c1 Q; eInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the0 g" U0 b; K. K, k0 t0 h$ @+ l8 L- c
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,7 ?- u; @3 V7 ~3 D, o( W7 W
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial1 c. }* H- F) v! f. M3 J& k
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of1 E9 Q) F) R5 m. {% j* c( l
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
& y; U$ M( P: m/ ~; m+ p- oA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
8 c5 t- `, w; W1 _[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
7 `: {% u5 @. D2 Q7 c(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
) f1 e2 N$ R; m. n1 x. s3 uretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on* V% F. H: `8 f- ~8 d: O) k+ ?* q
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
+ ^9 y, I3 s: C1 ](Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two6 {9 r/ i2 Z/ V4 z
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a2 p k' v: I Q
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e./ a6 ~/ H( X" D8 K5 Q
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In S) C) E% F n# @2 |" n- S8 C# u
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,% p( ?" z' Z: @$ u% C0 }: X/ v& c
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
; S- h3 U3 Q( ?+ ~/ r# @( N9 Q/ w+ r; H% ^5 t3 G8 } v
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
' r6 G( H: I- ?% v3 S/ m( U$ Y. yand American speakers of English, |
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