 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
; e2 q6 \( k3 x7 s$ FInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the m) Q2 ^9 o5 b
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,) `- M. J( {* q& P+ a, S7 m, S
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial3 ~; D4 p8 R7 q* a+ p6 S6 j
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
* i4 R& O8 T% b! Uretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
4 W8 @& i0 a2 p1 J+ tA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
* A2 c4 [. k' ?$ [) l e+ H# s* J# r[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]# H# y7 A( S0 j: o! M
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
, D5 H6 U& U- d8 v$ ^# C ?retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on$ X: y: t- }# d' s4 t' t. y5 t2 I+ r
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
( j/ U* `$ W' o0 N(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two, n. ?8 Q5 }- A. _
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a3 T( J7 V/ y) X% d, g. F3 a
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
: [" P9 ?* [4 N1 a0 {end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In5 Y t( y4 O4 W! n
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,+ z2 C1 o, s4 U9 ^
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
$ f/ m! \9 b; G9 x7 W
8 k! Q+ U* g- x) {& o(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)8 }2 _/ @+ J7 o
and American speakers of English, |
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