 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
3 x$ z" x# ~6 ?Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
% h# Q/ Z2 x6 B4 k) c! V9 ]syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
_# E W" R0 y7 oand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial: R5 U% ]- m+ Y$ v, z* S
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
1 F( M. I4 j8 T: Zretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).1 W3 x& M) F' @7 N4 \. T
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
% D7 {: E: K2 B) u& g[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 S p& s* _8 |( e! E- `0 m& D
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving, Q3 R5 r8 P* Y) B: N* ~
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
3 }- h: q- }8 I& Z1 P% upossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
+ z u$ [2 D1 d# k(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
! [& ?; R+ Y v7 e7 Xsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a/ ^' A6 V5 z! A
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
: c! [. ~# a% H; B$ |* Bend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In; X9 P( i7 Q5 R
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
0 c; @+ I8 n0 r5 X$ w# a1 f4 vthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..2 W7 _4 [8 B& S6 f
% J3 ]1 W" k# l: Q8 T6 B. F$ F
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)- M) A5 x4 L0 t3 Z- J7 y
and American speakers of English, |
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