 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- k: e. B% x) G& b! E1 wInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
# d7 z2 f, S, m, Osyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,2 Y$ T6 ]; S8 L4 ~
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
, A x2 l' h7 Q(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of% }8 x, d! Q; f9 d
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
. H, a V& P: K6 SA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
" \1 u# w; b" g# t* g[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]5 l! |6 F0 @0 f p
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
- }, g- M0 [/ x# Wretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on# B: x. C- y A8 S2 p
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! S, q( l2 `( G0 I4 t1 F7 c5 q
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two, f% y1 S1 v5 V8 t j9 D- R) s. z; F
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
( e; H! q9 V- ^4 Q: c" V) dsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e." f. _' D9 _# E& u6 c
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
. i& Z. L# G* l5 I6 o5 Wcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,: c5 @4 P: K, j- c
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..8 w& E( v' b1 n
: y3 G" Z$ Y9 S
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)2 ?, I4 e$ p% {; n$ C
and American speakers of English, |
|