 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
2 w( M( m0 q" J9 z! N0 w! i& a5 lInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& }; R4 G& \& d7 `# f) Hsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
; t% U6 f- D( t1 ^) y4 jand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial/ b" ^% E( Z" l$ P2 k
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of+ N+ {2 s" A5 D& j! m2 [
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
: t9 h/ N0 ? l8 Z$ B/ y1 PA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
: A/ V3 v4 N$ Q! ]% x[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”], v1 Z$ i2 F' N! {; Q
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
% W0 u U* G% i" {2 |" D) g! hretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
) J$ t) H7 J( ?( L# |) {possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset, F$ C, a0 H3 H9 i7 @/ N( _1 _
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two- n6 t* s7 z: M0 X5 o% r; @
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a: W" L: @' o2 s/ t$ C
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.4 L. W, m9 F) S D
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In2 w8 d- Y. U, e* Q
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
$ u: s; h0 p. g5 athe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
* [6 q+ f$ G( {0 k( I, b
o# W- t0 N5 x- Q(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)0 d1 ?9 u3 j! I: ]- k$ h8 g: P. ~
and American speakers of English, |
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