 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The2 v0 |/ |7 w: j) a
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the4 H. ?5 n0 X" N
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
& b3 z2 P7 v! p2 |) N8 W$ Pand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
7 \* i, Y! @3 |- P/ Q(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
, G0 C6 n/ c4 u8 Z. d, b& ] h0 tretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).4 C) x, e+ V/ l- J
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
! Y1 ]5 i. o' ~- ][y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]% ]( f: k. \* ]- h1 h
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving* r% n f+ g' j# w6 C% |$ j
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on1 ~' G; ~ |; f& e) B
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
4 q- `. R& @: S8 n; N(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two: O: ]3 \+ o2 z7 {7 Y
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
! g$ F Z/ V( ]6 {semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.4 e( k' q1 i% Y, b: b( b: p2 W1 Y: ]
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In3 H" d' E% B+ c
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
U& I) C' t6 P, D0 u& P0 Qthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla.." N2 h$ J4 [% {' h
! E n" M6 L- m0 Y5 g
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
2 s6 F: X* ^! _2 z2 y/ Yand American speakers of English, |
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