 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
7 b' t k, d5 k, Y: z) ZInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the: n# H9 v) j, T2 X
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,* p3 z* k8 F$ ^# E l8 D
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
I( ]' I) y& }% m0 }+ R; c0 [6 Y(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
9 f* ~# \& e- P1 v* Pretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).5 c- h8 |4 N/ O5 k6 V+ a
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=" b: n5 s. y, y& h
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
: a" `6 V( m5 f(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving5 F5 P. h, p3 g; o: ?
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
4 U, J! h: P+ p- q+ Mpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' w$ I. r3 U: t3 w8 q8 v0 H9 s
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
1 f3 v; c" x( W$ `segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' F# g9 X3 R* o; U: M
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
" k8 m m1 S* bend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In( ~- C$ \( X, ]% g! I
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
/ q L- b% z3 }" h5 ?the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..1 @ M. I: L3 |" h6 Q
- t( X$ m, Z O4 f+ u(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)& G5 {& T' g, F3 B6 o% Z7 {% J
and American speakers of English, |
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