 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The k4 c, p) R' l2 y3 c/ Y* ]
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
6 J9 z" q$ D( O+ F# Y& ?# ]/ Psyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
" a0 ^6 H/ e" {2 t8 Xand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial2 | _* }, k3 O; p* p& Y" k
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
' N( X# a$ d7 c* S! M* Y, N% G2 Hretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
w) n* S, I) p. |% wA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
8 W1 u: H$ _) W2 |# c4 x& l[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
6 ^" V+ n- O" o7 Q* }(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving* Y: P; k, F' i$ G s- x
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on4 |- y$ n5 _* K& w# o0 ]8 Y
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! u w" k* Z- I
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two- V7 q7 `& c) {2 c, c9 E# v
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a1 @) i+ d# n y" q. L7 W- u# m
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.: W" L% ~- i2 a, k( b% J' ]
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
/ _0 ]. w+ l/ d# D" ?compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,5 {* ~, _1 B ]1 d
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..( C5 A) t! z9 c( S2 d6 i. x
, n `1 x" g- ]' ?
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
5 Z- }1 B; v2 l" j- ~9 aand American speakers of English, |
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