 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The" u0 p) P! Z1 O, d9 t9 n
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
) e4 [: X5 l4 O" \; }syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
+ p; R+ A3 h2 z8 `7 Dand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial0 o; f5 \2 R5 k/ V: h h
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
+ ~9 Y* t( Z0 i2 hretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)." O' n8 i7 d! v* c2 F2 \
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (= M* W7 Z: r6 J9 |
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]6 _3 r6 Z" |" ]* e
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
8 ^! I7 s; y! L3 g; tretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on8 ]2 F% W' |5 X, p. |0 t8 m
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
! ~1 q$ f, A( k" d" U X(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
- P7 o! B9 D5 w. u0 osegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a1 h. Z, o& r' s7 ]# s
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
/ y6 q/ z2 t1 {8 Eend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
7 g% H5 x, ~: W/ `compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
+ v8 s3 Z$ v! T2 x$ Rthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
7 k. b: v4 }- b1 C2 n7 X7 ?( S& a. d( s+ g
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
1 |& j# q9 s. \( f0 e. dand American speakers of English, |
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