 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( H, c% D+ {: H+ sInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
- `( O7 {8 ~2 csyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,1 @# m5 i, i% y' z7 @
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
6 n6 F) k( G6 u, x" B' u(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
2 a; ^* i9 o" v# m$ o9 s& iretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
% W: i: F8 W9 FA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
9 R0 N2 Q2 C7 n' e[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
) E; M0 @* w7 _0 u; Q(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
4 S6 H4 m8 V. V2 _+ }9 mretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on) {% z% {( g5 o# ^. k# y
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset$ Y& A* F, }) E# K+ Q, Q R+ w0 s
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two) l j+ j! B L# y9 k' h5 e
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' [2 o# | Z! p7 G5 G# F+ V8 c3 y
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e., F8 f# u. ~% Q2 E
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
, {4 g" l8 K+ O. P5 j. x3 V+ x: Tcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,$ |5 d" Q& j' P# [& {. Q9 C8 K& K
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..4 U% S8 Y) v# n1 R, h, e& T: a
: \0 ?5 ]+ R$ c8 E/ i
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
, ~0 b7 k$ c" M, band American speakers of English, |
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