 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- \% J x" e7 D$ C1 G( wInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the' J$ C9 O4 M3 E3 w; b! a
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
. }) i! c9 L4 q% t: ]; m0 Zand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
$ d% c5 H' e7 {' E z$ j; l3 b9 \(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of9 L* Q8 C6 M; x5 e8 \
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).0 ^7 W. |( k' q K, E! x- M
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
2 S4 o& _ M4 z' N[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]1 Z. ~0 u" @# o
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
1 X& d3 w& h2 P, |6 R1 Gretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on2 V4 m1 Q0 Z$ m. ]- |; B
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
1 T" w8 v! S/ I3 m(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two5 T3 L3 z1 b/ ], i4 r: r" K7 Y6 D
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
6 R3 Y4 b7 }) D: F% Osemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e./ j( V ^0 p# x3 a Q. l
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In/ `2 T: g. C7 ^( _3 f
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,3 |" k- a# k! q- h$ [
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
. E" Z5 {' N. r9 d8 a4 ^( k% l. G5 S7 Q
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
: H+ d% g/ p) U; I8 d0 sand American speakers of English, |
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