 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
$ m" U c% o. R4 _7 @$ YInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the# f2 s4 V- V7 T' z! q
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,, I3 t# U$ d/ x( _ K
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
& N) E! x, O: y& o, r(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of) N9 c& @- [& w% y& P
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).! G2 e8 l! l6 n# k) k6 C; U
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=& ]0 F6 }* ~ J" N9 ^& k' [
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]8 K8 k+ _) _. T
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving+ y# M: r' G6 U& [+ B& X
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on! }* y2 ~5 O% ?# l9 _' z
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
9 g I6 J2 X+ i( F9 ~(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
8 v; I+ b* ?9 }4 Y; ksegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a4 j' r: ~8 u! z7 S) s2 {: G5 |! e; J
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.- ^! n) P$ [& F
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In" h. B$ ^0 N9 {; ^ b
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
; s0 G# J+ T/ p8 w% Ythe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
- f0 T. |7 M4 [8 W6 q
& u4 X: i' l+ {% Z(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
. e' ]; W/ T7 ?! X2 @% r2 x$ oand American speakers of English, |
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