 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The1 \: @) R2 s7 L( `3 _% u
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the- T4 o, k7 N. j+ [3 M1 y
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,5 i6 k0 |+ `: d1 f2 @9 R
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial! W/ y% W6 B+ w* `4 R& g1 r: z
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of$ i, {, d$ e* P' b
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).# [4 P% |3 L! h2 X& O% c: j7 `, f
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=3 _7 {) R; U$ {; V4 _3 X- x
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
$ n3 {7 ^/ ^+ i: B; {(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving3 D, I2 q5 I6 j( {
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
$ k3 u3 H9 }0 w9 N4 M+ u3 Ipossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset- V0 f. `0 r- I, s' v
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two4 s5 u' ~* X p; x* e+ L
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a2 K* L5 f+ w, m% P1 c$ E S8 s. M
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
, V' x' z- @3 D9 c) S' ]$ eend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
, H; E9 A+ e E5 F7 w1 ]3 Y. kcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
9 Y# h- c; b2 ]! m* q2 Gthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
: h7 F; u' K' q9 a
; `3 _/ u2 i+ e" T. g8 Z7 j(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)/ `2 m7 @" k1 v* ~
and American speakers of English, |
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