 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The/ }) ~6 }4 D" m9 l; Z( e
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the0 X. R+ f1 Q" r8 v5 L# Z& ^" H) \
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,$ E. R- z2 o8 @, W
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial7 p: Y8 r1 |4 B' L: Z
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 I; M$ q2 y2 |( X! {0 Oretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)." M# F! q$ [9 [9 [: c
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
( ]) N7 }% @; [! G7 p+ i[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]5 Y* K. O, z* p }* k
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
. Q/ {" l$ X1 T8 J7 Bretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on0 A# x0 H* K& b9 y% K
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset; Q. b' Z+ i: O
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
7 w) D Z- C# Qsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' Z6 l* ?) o' D0 Z+ j- E" T
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.1 y- U6 d' k3 i l+ T; n
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
$ m+ O1 [; d( p8 M6 S9 [1 r0 }compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,: N) C$ F& C; `* J# z( e
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..! f% P9 w" R7 u
1 F* Q1 @) k |. x9 o% J(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)! t; o- g7 y. w/ b7 L, R% W" p
and American speakers of English, |
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