 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
$ n, F; P- y0 O5 WInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the6 ?1 d# U2 H) X% @# o9 k x
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in, H; r' D, G% o8 t% s q
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial i1 z' J E9 z7 ]8 l
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
; f3 u' k p5 |: L/ ~* W. Lretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).1 R4 H* m; z2 e3 i0 ^
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
4 A# a& p$ U0 Q; u! z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
' P* \. Y, a5 v, Z4 ?5 h(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving/ j6 `( A+ O# Y; J
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on- _, q; T! q. s2 c' `) ^$ W
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset& X2 o) ~- g) _, Y' P& ~
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
; r; V0 C- J. s4 e- M6 rsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
# V2 Y* L6 j, E! rsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.1 M% A. X9 r1 u! C4 L. G2 I
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
6 X$ \% o9 q* s; _* `compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
l" J4 `( D9 Q5 q6 ` t: rthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
. c* n7 u# U) p: [/ \3 G
3 H/ f( N) b! M: Z0 m4 o/ N ^1 T(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)& x$ i/ f0 _/ Y) ~
and American speakers of English, |
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