 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
0 X n/ o; c4 `7 v. v$ |+ PInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
$ \4 h( }. i2 z, H2 N- d& j- Nsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
0 q* y" B/ }* Z# s% ?and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial0 I9 o8 ^: h* i3 g; o& j$ O
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
1 ~6 X) R$ q6 uretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
8 `' _2 W; C0 l6 G# cA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=0 `% |+ B; n. |9 I A% W
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
2 K; M4 C( e1 K; ^' W+ t(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
7 O: f; I" _2 Y G$ Qretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
% |, p9 e3 a# P3 ]0 I7 @possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset2 q! c! |. S/ q6 A9 R$ w
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two$ r! K' Y: L& L! Q
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a- D) J/ T$ ]+ {1 r9 T ], b0 B
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.8 K2 a1 N% ?" O4 L _5 z
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In( s0 K. W6 s: E+ ~+ B
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# P- W/ a, K: Y1 D1 g
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..8 _8 c/ A$ X4 I% n
( r$ P2 k$ b& a6 S. l(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)/ [' i" a2 v) V
and American speakers of English, |
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