 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The0 K: w3 T5 z8 q7 \
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the2 k2 G) V7 P$ |) J5 j
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,0 O5 e. h3 E/ u& ] ?
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial' L, d7 k0 y' e2 w
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
# }+ A# M% |0 }$ cretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
" j3 l7 j* B8 ?9 P' r8 C+ LA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
5 N3 {1 x. I+ p0 b[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 p$ Z/ ^0 U/ s
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
& Z3 Q0 Y( _/ e7 [: Z* z# N& }retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on8 }# Y( D# a7 i% W: V
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset( I5 g9 K0 Z$ O3 c2 n" v# \! I
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
* o9 x. p0 F9 D2 O' `! K1 }segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a; d2 \* c* w* r
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e. u7 D& j9 t$ K/ {, h- h6 B( B' I$ a
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
' E3 ^1 V* \8 P4 m8 w& ]1 l0 Wcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# C* z5 M- F4 I' S2 D
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
' y! h2 H" H' }) I; b* Q
* @9 T. A6 l- U0 G" X(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch) J# N# X- p. y4 G$ t& p! g" x6 J
and American speakers of English, |
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