 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
4 K6 y: f% K' LInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the, }3 d% R6 n3 [9 Z; w" v/ I
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
' O) ~+ a, H( \: qand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial0 e4 r* |. }1 T0 k9 k* I" V
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of' T) [0 V9 a; f: c1 I/ I
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
/ F( z. {/ {+ s6 P7 gA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
" j- m1 D: q+ F) @3 y& X9 @[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
) |( b( h" P, B$ q. X(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
1 w. k4 D7 v' H [; V' Qretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
& o4 x0 o" c( Wpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset, t' A8 ]6 J& A; t
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
9 K) u9 [2 i$ p9 |segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a4 y7 @: W: @9 @# L% _
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
/ \' f0 \. n% f' e7 V% Kend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
5 E) K* v& h+ A/ Hcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element, E- l" n8 x/ Q" K% q3 a5 ^
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..5 \3 C* m" `: g4 @+ o$ q, Q
" c" ~, U5 E" j0 m: L7 B$ \
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
( E' X4 I8 f, E* Rand American speakers of English, |
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