 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
* h% ^; a: {: fInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the* L' I, x! C( m8 @1 ]
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,4 K2 i8 Z* c* p" T& K
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
@$ A; m0 {# O8 v1 M(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of: h9 ^) ^& J1 B5 r9 r3 u# }% W
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).$ X& ~2 |' t, h
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
1 }3 C$ k8 U; E K: G9 n4 X[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]4 X- k6 K. d. ~- r: Q$ k% h( k6 {3 \
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
/ ~1 f8 l2 N; U3 X$ B+ rretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
+ u: _8 J6 l9 [possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset0 o) |% \. S( K& ?1 s; V* X$ E
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two5 j8 T& N' E) W: |$ h
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
# m% z9 T: Q6 V3 o3 Csemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.8 [, }- R" D* |$ b& g0 Y* E( e& t
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* s. D6 r3 S% s; r- | U! y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,1 i9 p1 y8 ?! ]2 o& m; R6 S- A, @
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
: j9 a6 ~; m5 u. f; I9 Q' U4 j! d7 C% m3 W( m" i
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
# ?: ~+ }5 q# Rand American speakers of English, |
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