 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
4 l+ ?1 c- @1 U$ D# RInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the$ Q, F/ @3 Z. x7 q1 k2 n
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,+ b7 W3 m# q ?
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial3 ^) d$ S: c2 A) F& {
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
; ^: F) T: j! o$ L/ I; Gretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
, o9 o" ]; X' x6 [$ _2 XA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
( O* J4 q$ P7 W- ?- v0 b# @3 Z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”] E, j. u' O4 W7 n% P: j0 H
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
8 A/ @) j H* G2 _) Wretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
; h6 N/ a# D4 ?, q* }possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
: |1 m5 t: B4 c& x# S(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
2 v% C, H$ A& h csegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a; U& _! L3 j6 [3 y( I
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.+ k3 A' P, l$ n0 v2 w- G
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
( k% W" q* Y5 e* |compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
- P' {0 F2 z. v) w) Ethe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
" |* _! Y% e3 h ~$ [" C/ y7 d& s
+ R' H2 F; O, U2 W/ @(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
; O4 }7 P- w" C; ~, Nand American speakers of English, |
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