 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
7 F. K$ f N9 E2 v) m; YInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
1 E* J g+ c+ @/ N j6 qsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
2 k/ \& M7 F8 M: N- n7 Wand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
1 _8 i, B: n8 @% a' E(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
' j2 v9 }5 }' F( Y/ [( Z2 b" \retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).0 s( M4 K# T8 P& z# b4 P
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=& \4 p9 a. G! d+ V% w: n9 \" S
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
I8 O9 {3 g: k(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving, m+ K* Q1 x9 G* J/ |6 ?
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on' n! [/ k; Y) y4 F, q
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset7 P' i; P2 A i* x! k' Y
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
/ o, A! X% w' v" Isegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
* p6 f% j' B) K9 jsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
# Y3 C) Z3 e" E+ _, t5 `end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In0 ?8 C; ` B* n7 k, W* ~% T
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,, \6 W, d+ T" q
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
5 E& ?7 L; S, ]% [' ?( i! j8 R' C! k" h, u! u4 f j6 Q( e3 t
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)2 Q$ i9 i0 ?5 k p; N3 h
and American speakers of English, |
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