 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
6 T8 O: }" S- J1 l nInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the+ e7 a7 h2 j d) M6 | j
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,' n8 y5 _ `4 ~+ z+ h
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
9 v& p* C1 F0 R+ U(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of+ ~3 j- C* p: j/ E0 y" R
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
& Q7 Y) i( t0 l- x6 bA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
& N+ K% G% C3 O8 O" w; }[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]# F9 r" g/ b1 U1 e' @& |3 a0 M+ S7 v
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
9 d& G" r" V$ I. D* Oretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on2 X4 |# ?2 Y1 X4 s
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset2 R' j; X: O+ ?# c% M
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two' D' {* j, ^- c m: U
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
# T9 W) I! m# Z% isemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.! e- l2 E/ N% B) E( L; D4 A$ x
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In1 i# K4 \, e7 p: l+ Y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,; l6 g4 a5 `! j. t. `1 u
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..' K! V4 _9 p$ J) K6 ^2 @' ?. Z3 C
: f: s' V2 e7 F
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
* X- E# @2 V9 F1 w% y# zand American speakers of English, |
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