 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
# R+ b/ N6 d- j4 w: ^' TInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& }6 W5 z7 [- } [6 t3 _syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,! \( I! A8 ~# y+ F* F9 n
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial3 s. e. _" U2 d' n9 A. j
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
/ ]5 Q0 }- z& w) j$ [$ }- Y: S" `* `retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).* [8 C& Q9 r$ Y5 g- { I* f
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
5 H5 `; c/ Y& i' L. Y[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
A/ ^0 W8 E" g& n, J(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
+ M6 c4 ~# J* Y; k0 pretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on# n9 S) B9 L( P% J' r' z8 L
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset K& T1 ~: d. ]% A4 j# {
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two4 r; I, _: T8 U, g& e( W
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a3 E4 F" y! K3 J* n. l5 L3 w2 l
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.6 G4 |' c& I2 t
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
0 t0 y4 [( Y& Qcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,( Y, s( E* d7 I" r
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..4 K: y- j# ?! N& t; f% R
6 P0 |% L0 v" A1 E(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
! E0 Q/ |2 w! T& h" @5 pand American speakers of English, |
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