 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
1 ~3 p( r/ M) J9 Z) K6 ^+ _Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the! q B; J6 G* z" [) P @8 l; |' r0 |
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,& O3 b6 a- |( |
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial% H0 q* q$ h1 _1 ]: m8 X3 p8 R
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
( E! u( c J4 \* C7 J$ _$ v sretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
# b) F+ E$ u8 M4 s* _A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
/ h$ D' F4 N& V, M$ Q: H[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]8 G/ j+ W/ q; X3 s
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
& \5 m/ O' O6 }retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on' n, y P; i8 t" x1 {
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
) I; n4 I7 E/ R, D _(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
; |4 L- j8 X- I, z- N) b7 _segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
2 ^3 d6 z2 j2 k5 e' G$ _! U" s& Csemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.& h4 x4 m/ @( k; b6 s- \- p' ]
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In6 u8 t) ] F* {: B0 D; l
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
" b/ p. s/ ]3 L, p5 { Bthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..$ f- H5 }, H8 n
# O/ _8 E' _" e* T, S1 T ^4 {! x
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)) R" f3 d4 o+ W
and American speakers of English, |
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