 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( Q& F, `! ^. T5 Z# z4 u+ wInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
6 K+ i/ V$ }& ysyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
% F! L" b5 V# r! P2 T. @/ P6 a2 `and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial8 N' G2 M6 m( C+ @% h
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
+ p$ {& i( m3 i$ ^" zretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).2 o8 m' C4 T0 |7 X/ t* h! h5 J% i
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=1 Q+ ] _7 {, y9 J5 g
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]$ Q1 ?4 G: Z0 v' K+ [+ P
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving, L+ g/ d) d+ v, {4 Y
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
0 f2 M& e6 w d9 `( q; [; xpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
4 N% a2 o4 {* o7 J0 [# U(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two. g$ |+ J, |& F7 A
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a! D" ^9 h$ |* C. @4 Y0 u0 }9 ~
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.) r5 }4 x9 z6 _4 }5 _
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
: d$ X/ { V& r+ ~$ G& z9 ~4 n. s+ _ Ncompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,! a5 O u% k! Q$ Q
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
% M* ]8 C$ I. w' u
% i6 J. o8 @5 H. m9 m(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
1 e2 ?( ^& C0 \. ~8 O! c0 q+ _, Q8 iand American speakers of English, |
|