 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The7 C- u/ V2 x' k; @# G
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the3 K1 e+ i2 {- S3 _
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
) y0 A/ b5 h* j4 p" X4 ]and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
& e+ [* ^: c9 n(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of4 W2 D$ ^4 R) f8 h4 g- u( Y4 j% ?, |
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
: n' U" b. C( R; ~A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=/ M( {& V- s4 q2 [. N1 {. o
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
, m2 k" N \1 w! }) L; j/ ~" r5 K# u(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving: G5 Z/ Z2 H' V+ j& d- U5 y* _
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
5 k/ o0 E" J. g! m' I- v4 tpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
( b9 X3 o8 U( k(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two- X% n; O" @/ L' G) X
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a; W( B. @; D: T" \. d
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
c4 f5 b9 \# T5 v6 S2 Nend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In; V j9 l& N. `) B
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
& P' n" Z& D6 `& \. Ithe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
1 y+ v( R3 M; F) P) o+ Z! J2 z. \: X. ~2 Z8 }3 n$ X
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
2 d6 ^" Y$ I1 t+ v5 H5 aand American speakers of English, |
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