 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
7 u# ]2 t5 {% q1 e& HInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
) ^$ n7 W7 p& F$ O8 }syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,7 p0 a- w! y( A$ c* j
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
$ f3 C# X7 q. K(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of! n( |2 B) x: |6 c& I& N$ o
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
' W$ l! K5 A0 s5 T! S( A+ _A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
$ O7 d$ G4 j' p) v# S8 }& `[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
6 W- X* j3 f8 O- c(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
3 ^( U1 s! W+ e: g; R( s3 oretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on4 H' @* c3 S6 X e
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset" D v7 j2 f: X) u! n4 F4 P
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
* i8 z- d# ]( \+ B0 c) a: E1 Rsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a, M* Y% j4 l6 i! z; n& t7 K. ]! \) g
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.3 R% W* _: c0 L* q
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
3 }3 p" M( L& Bcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
) a. n) A' f+ B% H; bthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
6 J- D8 z7 u- G
9 E3 k0 w. ~* d& v" b0 T3 ](source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)# Z( N6 [2 T; s/ |( a& `' o
and American speakers of English, |
|