 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The0 ?: Z$ n) k) y
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
6 i: g( D. O7 h3 ?( K' Zsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
' w" l. v: S# N0 u1 Jand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
( M( g% t& L6 o(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
/ B; I+ v h. z+ j2 s( cretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).7 |7 j3 e2 a1 n0 V3 V
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
, w' \+ }! w' ]9 H# A! h[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
/ d4 G- w6 C$ f1 O(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving( L6 z; \+ H* k% a* [) G
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on ^5 [* G0 z+ W- c* M A$ t# b+ _3 i
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
% u& A7 G% I6 [' I! \ _# E: z, `(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two0 J/ r" s9 u2 z$ n
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
" r# N, q$ y5 j) H5 Dsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e." i$ R4 G" p, ~3 e& w, a d* o5 k) H8 k
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In# E' p, J5 c, ?" G. J
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
+ D' {6 g. ?4 h4 p8 O/ u9 Q3 X: rthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
8 G4 j1 | z3 B1 S# v: }! [. y( J0 H1 `# i1 b" H P6 {% K
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)4 d4 v( P' c+ }1 x
and American speakers of English, |
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