 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The, `% {# r6 x+ c/ |& u" X' P
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
1 ^4 d& j$ h% p6 ^ gsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,* q7 S, ]5 J( M, X8 \
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial8 x/ i3 \/ m$ v! w5 `
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
0 U$ j8 G: R% h. Yretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
z5 S% S; L+ T6 CA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=5 X8 c% T0 h0 m
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
* Z$ W' T1 r7 F0 }, A! K5 x(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
' U. {9 Z; k- y8 i9 i' ]% fretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on2 z# V) D3 v' Y1 i
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset2 T5 C' |$ u7 |
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
) T3 I! Q! L, p4 n% q3 @/ Psegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
, j6 Z( {$ j s8 {% }, X9 n7 u5 Qsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e./ w8 f: K b$ b! K( V' k
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
9 k5 A' }3 q4 ~& G& x# ecompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,/ ^" Z5 k+ J- C: I3 s
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
- F5 u8 z( F' ?7 r4 s- _% f
$ D/ R; E7 ~4 E(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)4 C' r" m" e8 U: j; t0 M* I
and American speakers of English, |
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