 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
2 t/ }- z! Q U3 b2 YInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
2 G' i1 X9 H3 |1 l( zsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,( j: n- q2 D1 b E( k# r; x' d
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
4 E" }; u* v4 X- n0 L(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of$ a5 K/ X- i0 R
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
, g' z/ g% H/ |' SA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
# ^7 W4 j% X5 j+ B1 V2 V[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]6 a# d( ~0 x4 t6 e% e' h
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving6 V. Q2 m/ u0 H
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
: i3 s+ [4 T& @2 P4 Bpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
/ U! e0 b: f4 P6 J9 b(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
: @- I0 j9 E$ z C: bsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a- m4 f* x; Y" \+ B
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
' r% n1 I# \; ?. H6 u8 |end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
% d; m6 c+ b. J! kcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
1 u9 M+ O. k' ythe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
5 Q1 A: u1 }7 K2 w
" J+ r3 i9 d$ ~1 p. g(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
# k$ D: W3 A9 l" @8 |* o7 l# N+ Tand American speakers of English, |
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