 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The8 n$ Y0 \* X' |. z
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
9 y3 Z, ~/ j8 d6 ^1 Msyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
0 j0 a# t9 f" G- X$ H% G, j4 l9 hand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
2 b! ?: \9 n# w% ?0 }! E) ?% E(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
5 T% O9 }; o; g8 E5 {3 _retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
- f- X0 |- M+ | V! j+ hA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
; _/ M3 Z( a J* C! s# \3 d[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]& Y4 D0 P- r6 c9 n- q5 U, U6 U g2 H
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
0 R9 _6 Q/ ]" k) J" hretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on$ y. ^' g. o# K7 A% C( r
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset. A: q# s) K4 ?& w0 M. u: a
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two( h6 ~6 y) J) J# |) g% r
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a) ?6 ^) N2 j4 I2 [0 ~3 @
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
7 h3 o; K( N% dend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In7 g1 Q, \( v1 {4 }1 n* L6 s1 ]) R
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,' z* N, Q0 r; p* y& \
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..( p6 ]' `% I8 g
+ L: g+ `8 M6 a/ J b2 W& ~
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)2 b0 C( r4 B) w9 u6 n- N: I
and American speakers of English, |
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