 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% k1 X& i Y' \( l, {
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the( ]; S( p) C" U
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,8 l0 d) K7 I" P5 |" h, I
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
* t' }* V M* |% @3 i5 s2 ~( \(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of0 u' m' O8 m9 `1 z% j8 B
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
( Q5 j ]& {. `" V8 u4 wA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=9 s9 o2 m* V, H( b z
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
3 z# p5 e8 e5 N; Y4 o( _ }# u& c(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving* _! F( e5 I. L# T
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
. P6 C; l$ I' k2 v0 Vpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset5 c, S! K2 t7 _. b8 b: F& l( M5 e( @# @
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
) V# A) v/ t* g& W z) X# Wsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
3 |) l I2 l( d5 I7 k6 i( a Asemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
. r+ v& m! V4 R& g% oend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
7 U5 N( F5 X) l6 k3 }/ Scompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
9 S5 @, ?) V& }the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..) J1 P% b; k" n8 J; H |, C
5 E) V& Z/ h7 C! N(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
& [/ I; S# ]* b& N7 Rand American speakers of English, |
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