 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The- c, S7 P4 c1 L2 T: k! U8 x. U
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the$ d. }2 ~( \$ r. r6 \
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,8 R* f$ U' L) g8 R
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial4 G3 h8 p) s7 X& l# v3 z
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
$ w$ p& L( l& ?, T( `" e& xretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).( I1 {/ e1 ~. \/ _3 e# Z8 t
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
z; m' c, `7 @: A8 X4 K% G" |. h[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]5 ?/ j- r- N! {( ~. C" q* X
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
0 C N1 n9 T4 B! Z1 k% Jretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
# u/ N' t: T& L7 e$ P% lpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
" U) Y' I0 w: B3 f% d# X0 E: C5 l(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two& |0 H& R# ^. f/ O- n7 `
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a7 ~7 n/ t' Z4 U" C2 V
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.5 C G1 o. h) _6 J: N( Y
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
* c6 I) |- I1 }4 r- l% ^compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
+ g" E2 d# k; pthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
7 \. b5 ]& r& ~7 k4 p' e8 F6 [8 ~* D$ i
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch): ~: [( {+ |; f0 r' ~# d
and American speakers of English, |
|