 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The9 O& {. `$ k* q' k8 y
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the5 {8 E b2 v# l0 N8 `0 m
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,0 H, m) K9 ], q- @/ a$ _- m
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
1 B! s% U, A% I9 W! ?% p7 G' e(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of! M- h+ g& ^: o9 g) Q/ I" t
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).; M- j% I X$ e7 k) }6 `
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
) d8 }$ f! h9 _) } h! D/ j[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]9 E- y7 S, V- P4 q- ]2 F3 C1 w
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving0 b; F+ m+ A1 `# b1 W$ N9 F
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on% a$ ^5 q+ G1 O" ~( V
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset. [: K7 }7 ~2 ~% P# t; m
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two" Z6 J, S( B8 P; Z, Q- h& B
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a2 J5 [5 X' V6 ~4 \2 U0 G2 R5 g
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e./ P! v+ ~5 [$ x6 i
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
5 C3 ~; }2 c" `, @compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,- B1 F6 u: n" p1 m! i
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
2 @; i9 Q& `" g/ U- r) }. ^# V' M; W! |
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
' b" f1 L& Z, E$ Iand American speakers of English, |
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