 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
4 Q3 X# y2 K2 a5 y5 j' Z8 M* m& G' BInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the# m; O6 e3 _( p# C0 G
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
4 e9 ^8 G v7 x: N( q: C! Rand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial3 @( J }. {& Y' R0 U
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of9 `7 h$ H N0 t0 W
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).% `/ |4 H D8 G0 I% U
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
# d! J+ T7 j( g- h3 B2 C# U[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]: c3 j/ i. p' a3 e1 d
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
+ ?6 n' ^7 ~8 s0 Hretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on6 [9 j) X. v0 B9 `1 W4 j$ m
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
! S5 U$ s, g9 [5 ^+ o- _7 t(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two1 w j7 }2 L" S4 O
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a# \- u% E# R C* F4 O$ y8 X
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
! ^9 A* Q: j) A3 u3 y: {4 oend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
! U( }# o4 T- v/ f7 a9 Qcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,/ Y- o9 i3 J |; A7 A; E
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla../ {2 Y* @/ q- J; Z
7 ]4 b5 K0 Y4 o$ d. q' X8 ]# W* k
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
, S$ G2 N; u4 C1 l" Oand American speakers of English, |
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