 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
* [2 z1 {) G! U* h' D- r$ KInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
# A- Q4 ?+ Q* \syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,! S6 t$ P* m; h7 @
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial* K6 {( e% C( v! {' w0 A M+ Q( Q
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of3 I- g- ?+ C. T. J6 d3 d3 m# s
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
: H/ z* o3 }! T) }A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (= ]3 p6 |% ]* B* {: M
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 A; D+ f( ^* K
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving' j- a1 K9 y* r6 d3 G2 S# E
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on9 e+ Z" ~/ b, K4 n
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
p+ k8 Y8 D! d' A0 D- x f- n) l# C(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two% A$ V5 O5 y1 f0 M
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a+ H4 S* z8 T, U$ N4 n9 T' z# h
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
) k- A1 P: e% ]" j u" r9 J& fend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
0 w+ M( U: W' C4 m- t( Zcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
! l( U" g* y6 ]9 Mthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..2 R) A" c" u2 }& L& V9 l/ h* H
$ ?* d0 z: H8 r
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)3 g% T, b V3 z
and American speakers of English, |
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