 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The$ i9 B: W: A0 ^
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& Y7 u9 x! R* Y8 p; F4 V ^syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,( {) k; e2 j: }' W& b. F
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial" E. R. t z+ H( ?# B4 I* R+ v
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of' g: K5 z2 w; B/ L; R# H0 g
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
, ?" \ U6 L, p1 c- F$ X% h( }/ aA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=7 M* m a- G8 m/ P, w
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
; a) O2 o* I# _5 i% ~( S2 k(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving' ~5 H' A0 b, B; L
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on g) e& X% O) u/ ?- @
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset9 B3 ^, f, f( @
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two; `" ?' \% F1 d6 F! f
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a9 |$ m& | n" o, G
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
; U9 f% j1 Z8 m; s# `" O4 Q: @end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
6 g/ m H$ G" @% x( g5 Kcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,4 r1 I" S; L, k! f, P9 g
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
% T' l7 k8 L5 X: \8 ]; X( Y6 [" |$ V/ O1 Y% s4 x4 _& |0 f
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
* F" t* r/ O8 v! G& Q; xand American speakers of English, |
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