 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The5 W, W6 j! G4 s D0 O6 [; w
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the5 J5 [- I% M" s: c4 H
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
# B2 F8 J& q6 d9 x' y6 f; ~and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
. Z0 c' o% [0 M2 ?(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
* p7 l; x( f% c$ n- t; K/ c/ xretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).2 @7 T( d8 Z+ A- N% [
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
) I4 k0 |$ N J3 H[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]' }6 W3 ~2 i, G/ f7 @' p$ y
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving- n! ~9 g; X. r* J, [9 e
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on/ s8 b- v& I; @& C8 ^* ?
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! K% C3 I. f: q1 T- ^
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
' r+ Y( d$ ^. Zsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a% n, l1 H- ]5 N
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
# O% {3 R' q+ L' O) A' x7 K" |end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In v* X0 |- i- s( E
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,( Z3 ]9 i/ W- d+ E
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..+ Z) Y' U ]- @4 C" v* o
: B& \8 V" D" ? o! Y(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)6 k9 _% A: C. j0 L* k
and American speakers of English, |
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