 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The( g/ m5 V; }/ z2 c1 y$ u* K: @
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the# o0 d/ y/ K$ z* D* P: K* D: r
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,* w0 e; _1 ?# I. L E3 w9 l2 R
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
/ Z2 O$ R7 n% V0 K(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
5 k5 z0 l! {3 ?# R/ M7 mretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
0 q% y5 `! t+ I- a1 h3 j2 ]A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=# m# a. y$ {9 f& k* d
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
( C4 e* K {! I$ `6 r; } ~(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving( W. h( u; W9 _. b
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
3 p7 T( B; K2 p) jpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset( O" N( l5 }+ L I0 M
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two2 c+ J1 H0 M) v' B4 v
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a; Q8 C' d5 g" M0 }( q
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.- r0 B' t2 h" h" g2 M! j( u
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
" s4 a) g$ |* o. q, L1 V2 d5 m. Hcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# {" t* i [( p( k) k
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..% w5 a& y1 T+ ?) T/ U3 i' s
# _0 H8 A6 m% K5 H6 r% `2 u(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
4 q6 t8 ]' U2 y" ?7 C5 Z ~; v. P5 {and American speakers of English, |
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