 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The# Z+ w8 t- D g/ {$ n
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
1 j1 T9 C; p+ Isyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
@+ s1 h* }/ T7 A6 j$ pand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial( Z V8 D0 I! T9 G1 I% j
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
7 Q3 G! G9 @: Jretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).. a+ |) t' {3 P: e4 Q
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=8 e; \" D) [$ ?6 }. J
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
( x. ^4 U* Y- t(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
1 u T/ ?% t5 l" _5 q5 w. `retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
: R; ^+ Z9 ~& Q5 V( _2 cpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset/ D8 T2 h& W C e# @5 O3 F7 s
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two5 e! Y% m6 d8 e% ~
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' A/ z. U; i6 w! l4 B# p- X
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.9 N2 n9 J, I$ }9 f6 E6 b# ]
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In/ I o- \/ K. D
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,5 |0 L% d6 u3 t
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
1 z. [0 B9 y: q" m% q: m: }
3 ~- \7 Z- K) W" C# X(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)6 v1 J& P7 W! I4 b+ a
and American speakers of English, |
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