 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
, f5 u2 w9 y: v+ Q$ v8 \Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the: u0 A+ n5 ~$ E
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,0 n* g( E; ?1 O- |5 o9 K
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial7 a' O% e% _4 t
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of- {! Q7 d$ B7 n, S/ r; }0 `' u
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
' h! A' J1 j7 C/ d3 ]+ C4 iA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
, }: T2 b/ @/ R2 p5 [[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
X7 E- j" D6 l ~(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
' g4 t+ m. D9 ^3 zretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
+ ]0 h7 S2 k/ q0 t' Apossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset& G7 z- I2 W# l& l' B( z4 @
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two7 k3 ?' H# ?& _: M7 [4 J
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a f8 r% B# H. n5 z0 D
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.+ ]& y8 S$ w' h. t2 b( c
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In# X" C( @' B D2 h0 b" m- e
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
9 B l7 z- Z7 U3 O; O! Y& |the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..& K" t" J1 Q j7 s1 E. _
7 I( f. n: K6 N! g5 i
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
! S8 c3 S9 n8 x1 K8 a2 Rand American speakers of English, |
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