 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The$ g# f' H# O4 x$ }7 L7 R0 I* k
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the+ B0 }0 r* M$ w1 D- w
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
% z4 c- S- p V% ^1 O7 C8 V2 f, uand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
5 B- ~& r; k; c2 c(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
3 i2 K5 u% g; {1 J1 ?# P' k: hretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’). ]8 L. \9 [+ S! C
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
& t o4 h7 g7 O8 Z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]$ T7 a0 @7 S' x+ |$ ]1 Y+ M" C
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving& t: x& D+ Z. o, Z# ]
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
7 m1 @' U& U& m2 `- N1 [: j6 \possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
6 d6 r+ T6 G+ r(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
: {& w# t- p, k% Y: g2 Qsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
# q% }7 h/ |8 \4 vsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 \5 z! Z/ c4 N1 n& Xend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In. J/ V* I, L$ {2 F- |
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
2 N c$ G* @# f* L0 a# lthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
7 y, B; k" }" }/ R& ]/ t7 G: _% A, c+ E; a( O! N5 g
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch): n6 h# ?- [8 z2 f# s
and American speakers of English, |
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