 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The3 v0 C' ]1 L% d/ U
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& V1 H, }$ ^ z& n0 A- p& v, `syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
! O8 D5 M- |' t& w$ ?. D2 gand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial5 ?+ j4 B7 s( Q2 g7 u- K9 P. S
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
- W7 y4 L" Z" Z+ ~/ r9 D% ]retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
4 Q* O1 ~6 h2 E# l7 h- mA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
7 _6 U1 B- Q. s! h) F[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
+ J t: D0 ~& Y. n5 W5 ](phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
4 ]7 P$ C# P, L2 m) t- y. ~: x. f) uretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on+ M, h" N$ ^! o- Q
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! [$ q9 H+ s4 B
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two6 q! v1 [5 y5 d- x8 L) ? Z
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a7 B& w1 n. `- N3 A0 L8 D1 f
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
3 p! L- o1 O9 n& P3 pend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
, J% U8 g5 E0 e/ scompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
4 O+ U, d2 i6 j+ |( w: dthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
* C- J3 e& [3 i2 x8 L5 k
* |8 \! ~8 Z/ r' u+ Q% k* L; x(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
' S6 S$ R" K2 D& S4 a% kand American speakers of English, |
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