 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
C3 L" y I' M0 S2 |4 S* gInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the; o$ W; B% ]- B6 h% `% L$ k; q
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,; q: q5 x4 D* m. ^, O* h* S4 W
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
% f# \2 F( ?/ n' r1 }- K. S: c" t(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of- _% S7 ?8 w N, w5 y0 E' ^
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
7 P o; Q7 d6 AA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
+ V* p& y7 ?/ t$ i, _[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]* f0 O5 S0 u: C6 a, k
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving# _: T! `8 {. v( w9 Z" k: o$ J
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on# G8 G% E3 \1 x- ?9 F2 T _% [
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
( m' e6 P X, l- l* |9 x, z(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two* p3 j, B U' i9 W" c1 A
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a/ ?1 ~5 a; @( L
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.& x. c. u* L2 t0 o \1 N! |
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In: i- o; S N- k) t$ |8 {
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,1 ^% M2 k- H1 g( ]" L' l: l
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla.., }4 m7 }# n" S! i* |
' N1 p# p$ z% L+ O5 q& Z& P# ^
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)2 C2 R: p/ Z1 S4 S
and American speakers of English, |
|