 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The( q6 x/ y. H1 w
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
) _: c' j `+ s! ^% D4 `syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
$ I- K/ b. x e l; Iand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial, L7 S* o/ g* y+ m0 d. B9 l: r- n4 E
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
7 C2 w, j$ j% t/ W1 A* ]5 g& j# J6 Yretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’). z j4 {+ a& I; M6 t% A0 n
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
6 q# N3 E! J {% j2 H[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
$ N q: R% y0 m9 p2 h(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving% i7 S F, Z3 b9 p$ l
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on; O5 m) N6 x0 x$ @
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' z' J3 h3 `. a2 K. {
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
5 S: W! ?3 E/ ~4 j9 v9 ysegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a3 U& @$ a+ c5 o u
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.& Z1 J( ~0 p4 Q# ~" n! G
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
# ], I; ] o2 @- r; Hcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,! y' P7 R$ i& V5 L l; Z7 ~
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla.. c* N5 A' F6 y& [. _* l
( G% _5 k5 G! @" s. F- P(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
V1 y7 j1 Z9 @. h& T cand American speakers of English, |
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