 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% ~8 ]5 U# K& z# P( i' |% |
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the3 x5 k, Y# v& ^9 {$ g
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
6 x7 o9 U' N/ u5 L& I4 j) gand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
$ U$ _% S. ^. W(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of G" [# Z& }0 h. D; h' C
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).3 o( T9 Z3 }5 G* U
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
/ w( ]4 I9 n5 S+ M6 G1 M+ j[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
/ N# E1 S# M0 {% ?/ n! D(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving- T* y7 y& q& u- y9 R& u
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on4 E4 r- I7 C+ `
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
4 c& A2 a, z' I( ](Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two7 W D+ k3 O2 j2 x9 W5 Q$ V# C! B, t
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
: n" C4 ~! N( z9 ^3 T$ [' Esemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.+ s0 Q/ V8 ] Y/ b! ^
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In2 |4 r4 P6 S0 j! [
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,! D9 d3 x; I+ w; x* h# [: R. J' B
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
" d8 U$ _* w; L e! b# g& M9 m& g: u' Q1 N9 _: v0 l
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
4 n& Z5 _" M* F' Y- u: A; Pand American speakers of English, |
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