 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
$ Q6 l8 H. S/ T! Q A8 \! Z# z6 cInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
7 D1 M# v" @: F9 }syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,9 J% x+ u& R" T( u& R7 L3 y) d% R
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial! t0 B9 Y5 F- r, d2 ]2 p
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
) L2 k, h0 F) q+ n- V9 bretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).# V% p/ ^4 l, z) A7 i6 i5 R2 ^
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=2 F3 r* T% Q# c; A/ F) V/ m# R; b
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]. h1 j$ q [# i7 N# z$ ^. q$ b
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving) k P+ T) q) ]1 _
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on$ \% e( G$ M/ E# @# T
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset* u* ]0 G: o( z3 I
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
# I, a4 }; S9 q% Lsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
; N9 I7 J! o# F" usemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
0 t) h9 V1 d: u+ U' ]$ U/ Oend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In! b: G6 m4 k7 A& F# V% U3 T
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
`5 _1 O8 ]$ fthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
* w- I, Y! m7 E- b( B: |" U8 _% O% U- j
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)$ U' ?# T" c! g) v* j1 j5 \
and American speakers of English, |
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