 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The8 M+ T$ L( n- X0 f, e- V
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the+ t) m( d* f: ~5 Z; A
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
% C( J0 k8 O# `; c0 B6 Band uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
/ p! m' I# B( c4 N4 e+ g5 `6 d e(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of) c8 t* L6 W+ M( j: X
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
2 c! ?3 g; d$ x6 Y- d( DA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
) Y0 | B U9 }9 T& Q Z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
4 Q/ i8 @$ q# O) M# p(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving! z3 p+ a( a6 b& E
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
: L' w. N# T7 w0 a5 n Z9 N, Gpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
U! l- j* K% w(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two" A# f! \6 p8 [* A( _9 X
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a& R& T( E) g0 D* Q
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
U. [3 e6 }7 Zend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
. d% G% s8 G( Ucompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
" S7 w2 M8 d, j, o m+ j4 ythe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..1 M0 S' [" P9 w ?% e0 A% D$ b. @# w
1 F* d+ ]$ ~' p; E+ ?(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)/ @& N7 k9 W( V
and American speakers of English, |
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