 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The- j9 d; V: m6 m5 P/ `
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the$ q4 e; o; A2 K: _( ]
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,' [7 x% C4 ]6 d3 x4 ]
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial, w# E- \& k! ^9 C
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of. A3 i( h9 `9 q0 }" N/ W0 ], I+ d3 j
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’). [/ |0 d! @( _$ B! [; ~9 P
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=0 A0 N/ n {+ y: \
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
! \, b e4 H/ c- L0 }(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
6 V8 H H% X! hretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
9 Q% L+ v# X: ?" Qpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
6 [4 `! C( K% f(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
9 C: }+ R% k/ K+ i7 {1 p1 ]4 Msegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a8 ^+ Y/ n4 H; g0 a$ e
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
0 B& i+ Z% ], {4 rend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In4 @/ ^1 L+ U; v- i
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,7 ^( `0 M6 A4 j0 Z7 A% Q
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..! e+ E: r2 O3 l/ P: T8 W
1 s) M" O$ G0 Y2 Y+ I$ `/ e# O(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)7 K7 Z$ K3 N8 M4 u! B
and American speakers of English, |
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