 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The1 A+ j/ v, U4 z: F6 M# `+ Y
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the& K* |5 }: a. `2 L) L; ` B2 L+ Q
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in, O: W4 }' N2 n0 n( s% p+ m/ T
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
5 v- u* H6 x; v(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of: I0 J& ]' G' `6 t. }7 L
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
; H/ ?8 y" E4 S5 L$ ^" m$ A8 `A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=$ W! p; w8 D. J0 K
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]; W0 g' g% D/ v: @& f6 T
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving) }$ U" Q% C7 p; b% L* P
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on( `* _# e! m. v
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
: ?5 Q' J% V' i* a(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two& T. C' J, |- ~, {8 l! T; Z
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
/ j1 ^) B& j% v/ i% W: Wsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
3 g% W g$ r0 J: {8 Hend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In0 n0 o, z# z( ?. {6 _9 M6 M( @" R
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
+ G; y# @/ Q4 S+ ?$ v" Nthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
3 ~ Q# h, V7 I' h( ^9 \+ f$ i% K4 z) a5 _1 Q# J( P8 E
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
h: O* X% w0 _" U) Mand American speakers of English, |
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