 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The, ^6 q t% s2 B: v: y3 n+ R2 k0 n
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
) t; P ?( r9 b" Msyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
% K- z/ }/ G$ i1 X0 v- t& L; _! _and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial" F3 l; n ]1 V. W$ Q( ?' z: R
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
# C6 Y/ C# C$ `4 aretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).6 C5 p/ a& {. t8 U/ _ A$ Q0 B
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
* O2 Q2 |( m0 |5 O' n[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]" O% A2 M. r; c; l+ s- Z
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
# `) p. }, o. k+ _retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
5 }+ {( s2 ?3 E1 {8 p" ^1 mpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
# [# B9 e* [% O7 |3 }(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
5 H4 u1 d: [; T8 i; _' ssegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' D4 X. s9 M: |9 h
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
! P! _4 R' ?2 }end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In6 R" n7 m8 e6 u+ S7 T+ @
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
. {# G s" i- N& F4 R" ?0 B; d! sthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
: S/ B) V9 \( M( _, _0 C5 t3 f4 k. g
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)/ w; L# @4 p7 |7 j8 ^. m) L
and American speakers of English, |
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