 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
6 U4 z2 s0 g4 sInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the$ r( f) A3 n7 q' H
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
! M$ s8 g* e/ C3 Yand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial+ N; r7 M: q d: G8 R
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
+ A+ e/ Q/ X4 N/ A/ X+ zretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).$ w, N5 l( z# g. v4 }
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
: N2 A( B& q9 s9 v/ T6 g. a" b[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]' j; q; V) d" `& F5 x
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving8 O. w0 L& u5 E4 w: N1 D* P
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on( N( G, o+ h5 Q% s, k0 G' p
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset3 W+ M, V1 D' R7 j! e$ H5 z
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two6 W, i, P% X/ N* Y; x) j5 N& G
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a4 `9 C# A/ e: Z6 E/ l8 {% P- K9 _
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.# _$ o+ K- S* F: m% }2 W; B% e
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
3 d+ q3 X8 T0 n+ fcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,3 f; A3 g R; R6 k. A+ ]
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..8 z" i+ B B# v& J+ b s, W
4 v1 N a( ^: r; ^5 s0 U(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
/ t `0 J- E$ T& {: Q; @. V$ uand American speakers of English, |
|