 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
, P5 k$ {5 r. J+ [1 o( |3 wInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
0 G* \5 o0 a; x8 F, F; gsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,: J8 X, @4 x* r; b
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
" h) M- G- g1 G* N7 N+ B$ N(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
9 E2 h; ]: F: W+ jretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
; d% d6 v, ?" r. VA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=9 B- b* i2 d$ i$ c. O+ W
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
. J' E' L5 I! x# H; |(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
: z/ N7 u" X3 f' Z. qretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
8 T* Z$ @, N) P. M1 L9 ^$ ]possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
! t/ J0 O8 @! n6 e m(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
# a5 O8 r8 E: a# @- P; S: Gsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a: n+ e0 l& ]0 H$ j) F
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
9 A0 u' i& T- send with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In. T8 k$ d2 }7 H; P8 @
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
1 E$ z3 |, S( A5 l7 |/ ~3 |the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..2 r4 \* B; G) Q* a' C
6 l6 Z6 J. r/ V5 [6 R& |
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)& W2 Y2 g* a3 ~- [
and American speakers of English, |
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