 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The1 I+ U& P% Y& \4 z; t
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the7 s3 |* Y: E( S
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,- n: U$ j( a/ A! P( _+ i5 B2 q9 j- Y
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
1 P) ^. Y- s+ D7 b% `0 {: w+ Z(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
( P3 N$ V1 S$ b/ J5 V# ~3 I5 A8 kretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
0 [5 W* |% o8 q, ~3 mA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=6 ~( M M/ n2 C0 E
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
Y4 C w7 n+ i2 v(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
& u- P w* p2 g+ Y' v0 p3 iretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on# s* [# Z: `4 b% }. y& \
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
6 @" Y+ l/ O1 j(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two- x( S. K ^* m* X
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
$ _3 a- [! M @+ ~( r7 _, g6 L7 _semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
% A: @: R7 c* O% _4 s1 b( u: ~end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In+ ]9 h( D4 p6 Y( G8 J
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
" L1 E3 H$ F' `& A/ sthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..& A: ?! U: D, o0 M9 G* Q; h
4 P9 q" H0 j2 x: C(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
. I' @% Z, t, o( P h3 _and American speakers of English, |
|