 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
]& m9 |8 W% y/ O" f$ t6 KInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the j" l# U2 h0 z/ S) w. ~1 |
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
, ^2 ?6 C H, F& ^3 Wand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
# b# B6 _4 [4 t$ \% j(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
" W9 ~' R: \7 ^: _9 i) Lretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)., V! K- `+ r" X9 A2 w3 A5 Y
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=( ]3 m- J5 H5 U: L! b) B
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
2 \( `' n5 v. x& C* h0 H(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
% y; L: a# X/ b$ r5 s+ g; dretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on/ J( o i4 Y8 ^; D8 u" P, W
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! x2 W1 |' i( R8 W
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two( P+ |' U; S+ ^ K) t
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
9 j: [: Z2 K- d& d) T6 F. T" K% zsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
0 r8 |0 L x' D4 Rend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In$ k- J% ^; w$ c4 H' T4 v) ^& ^
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
3 j( p3 v/ X) ], K2 @# m9 sthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..; h( Y& Z0 b3 P" C4 W& ?
# p1 g. H$ [" p$ W(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
0 ^8 i* h. E! S6 {- P' K- O2 |and American speakers of English, |
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