 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
3 Y: j' S. F8 ?3 CInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the0 p, M$ s5 @9 {) s" g
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
- D6 ]+ b1 l" Y, C! \! zand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
1 ?$ h" F# r- x1 z( U(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of7 U3 `6 Y4 Q4 [- z
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
4 @8 H' z$ u/ X$ zA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=6 z5 j8 y5 C" p
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]7 m7 O" N8 m/ T0 p' E8 C
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving3 {4 v% y: O8 S# u( S2 N+ |
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on: z) g1 S2 ^/ r, E
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
" b4 q" e- W& M$ [" m9 r8 Y(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
4 T; l, ~% y. b: c( ]" x# O( wsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
, v: b+ |, \+ N B9 Hsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
4 E: L- I: F; K* ^ Pend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In) t% K+ c, U. b! L5 p; g! l! {
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
# j7 X" H2 g# B5 kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
2 R1 k6 D0 n0 N: X' l: l: F. l! w6 V1 Y5 F b! E' A6 d" Q
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
& f" Y; q9 R+ e, b @and American speakers of English, |
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