 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
+ Y0 p4 K6 A/ \Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
* L4 U% t, s E ?% X4 L/ m8 Asyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,/ {6 m, m3 ?- p8 j
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial2 A& J: W o1 ?% f( Y; S
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of# m$ n- F( L z8 }1 b2 W* z; r
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)./ m3 ~2 ^# {1 I" J' w9 b7 D( a6 ~
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=% ~2 ?) u. ? I- s
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
/ u5 i( Z8 H( M; H(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving. w) m$ K/ f0 E+ @1 M: y4 e! o
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on: h0 v+ {* k, I- y. A8 y( q! k# D
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset/ E% c) v$ t' R7 b2 x8 f. q
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
7 }4 B: i* X7 h& H# Osegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
$ i$ H+ d7 M: B! zsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
8 z$ g Q" S0 r/ A+ nend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
0 z3 c4 P, l& G) ]; \+ R" Icompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
. f" g" {/ J9 M: y0 Rthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..$ d1 V5 O7 o c" a4 S
5 @ S* C# Z+ x- I, w+ F, W(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
! D5 j7 L1 @+ B9 P6 Iand American speakers of English, |
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