 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
0 ^% P5 P. u, G+ k- TInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the+ `6 f9 E& h' t# u" J7 i
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,$ b8 n; l: q. \
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial2 B) U9 e& w, M5 o
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
0 b# C5 e0 v f# w) n) U1 Hretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).2 _3 g* W5 K! V: u/ J9 k
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
+ }& D/ ]: \3 A6 K# `# l[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
( ]% o' T' j9 N" g(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving' i; L6 H+ \# s8 m0 Z
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on( d& d' [8 O( p1 i2 B' ]
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset" e% J4 `, j( c& x; f3 ^
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two+ |- f7 U1 R, c# ]+ R
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a! W m7 c1 V3 s+ E
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
9 S, I9 k" }$ @. G* z, A8 w% pend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
$ v! O* v7 D' E k* c* k7 ccompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
0 J, H! W2 X- C6 u, i- Uthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..9 _' `) U, ?; h& ? c: n# c
; B6 E! z+ O: `" T6 R" [/ G) O(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
4 K# B$ D" u" D3 xand American speakers of English, |
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