 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
3 e: Y- @/ {0 yInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
3 [4 I& {" Y1 }) F1 |8 t& Y# y# |4 esyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
2 y' I9 O! ?# D3 \$ R$ ]and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
; \2 y3 U5 ]2 [+ }0 K/ \' W(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 W, E" s4 r! F" F% Mretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).0 A& A9 j1 B, [& D# t
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
\' |. Q+ X: X$ f) {. O" ~( @[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]: A b1 U3 p% z+ J; b8 l
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving" `6 t9 {" [) f& B: U& j
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
/ n% O9 l0 k0 N S% e( G1 b/ Bpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
" [: @' R' N. d6 U; Y' C8 [+ }(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two1 q! A$ ~- R4 W0 s8 u0 G
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a C N6 c. d5 q6 U( x- ?
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 v' u8 Q/ i0 U. \end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In8 \, E' o ?6 Q) Z0 C
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,4 b# q" n4 d" I2 G, q' i
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..& Q3 E7 @0 @+ Q4 r5 T
: x% ?% x: z/ r! l+ y
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
( C K3 I' q+ \6 m( @( Eand American speakers of English, |
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