 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
0 i: q, g5 K4 [& I S J: ]Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
6 f9 `5 t8 E% J: N& esyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
6 L+ x2 L, Z/ A! @and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial T7 E( [/ \# f, T$ {* n2 W
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 _: E& Q/ Z* h. Yretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
+ r3 f4 D+ K- @' _4 j! iA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=* `) R/ I! h. m/ d% C% n
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]0 c1 |6 ^$ Q4 o2 m- P
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
* g: i) j1 E2 o! U% S, i8 Uretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on' `7 d$ e. {/ S! V' R3 X
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
3 Y5 W/ j4 ^ G/ y) g$ V% Y2 b& y(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
, ~# H. E" w# ? v7 v3 ?" P7 P1 P ~segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
+ ^ Q7 n7 r* a0 K+ H' D3 Bsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.: Z0 p) C" a, ]
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In# E3 u* ?: N; l/ X( y2 `
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,0 ]" Y H6 ^1 t6 @1 m& y( {$ i
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..+ s- y' o8 N4 |: O, F, e8 g* p0 n
6 V' g: ?! w* e* `(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)& [9 Y ~$ w3 k& d" ] U! t
and American speakers of English, |
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