 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The# P. k+ Z) C! _6 k
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the s8 G5 X% x. C" C3 {$ j
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
0 L. L$ {+ Z; X7 C) zand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial. P7 U3 j: Z' w/ J; s: h
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of) Q3 f: F2 h$ n( s2 ~- d
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
! y, v% E4 J# z; F+ TA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
: E7 A! A9 A1 J5 F6 i+ e) X d[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
2 Y( N0 t6 \. N. C' c9 \" M(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving: q! p% C( U/ K, C1 g
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on3 A# c$ D8 w/ S( L% Z8 l& t
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset8 A, A: E. A# n% C0 ~7 F5 J# k4 H2 g8 d
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
5 f7 t9 @ N! Q* D. L( q$ j0 Zsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a& l/ F1 P& J& m9 ]. T" i$ D: `
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
7 ~0 \3 P D2 ]% wend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In. Q, _3 L8 ^; _; b& E- N
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# f1 W' C2 J8 ?- T7 _' x
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
6 i- c# B* \0 }& G. p3 k' M/ |+ V V4 X" d
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
& @ y2 s2 j- @and American speakers of English, |
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