 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( s1 P: ~2 l# d- J% k- rInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the, C+ W* t. j) f# |! x4 H
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,1 F; R! f# ]; M) U- C$ Y' l
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
+ Y: v5 f: x. W" m. `(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
4 A5 g' J# M8 Z" U2 kretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
H$ Y& y( x$ G! R- @9 bA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=; A8 M0 r6 b) X2 v) c) t' v; e+ ?* M
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]; l' Z5 F' K) Z8 f- d* Y% @
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
' X5 d+ X; X# i1 N. Q7 s3 aretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
) y. ?0 Y5 ?9 ~4 K$ g9 c4 xpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
) S- X6 a7 L+ S7 V" f(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two9 x! A4 h1 j. W/ c! h: F
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a; }, K% u4 h; ?3 Y1 D( q; `% S( z
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
5 o% s6 L$ @3 g7 u+ L! u2 jend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In! ~. A* x/ W! K# o% q! c
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
; I6 z# g1 l/ I. c! [the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..9 X4 q* n7 p; N
9 n- ^+ Z. M3 B$ C* T# k. b(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)4 S5 G; Z' B$ l6 z4 E. [
and American speakers of English, |
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