 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The6 }0 p4 ^4 M8 d
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
% G7 R: E3 ?5 l, b1 p9 ysyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
8 a% q& G7 F4 h) c- E' Vand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
; D( n& s( A$ O7 A(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
3 j9 V' d9 b! e B$ m# ]* Uretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
$ [7 G: s. t) d" }! lA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
. h( t/ O- T1 G( P[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]' T8 L' D R! A7 l G; B
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving9 U( G; T, p! ]0 f3 d2 _7 s0 K
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
" q* a' ~! |) J' Epossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
7 e: K9 _# @( G C0 @5 s(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
$ v1 @. [. Z" U9 I7 Ssegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a8 t4 D: C& ?' \
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
L# w' J8 A d1 c3 `/ tend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
& u$ q" E+ |! n( [& \1 i4 Kcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,1 @; U8 M. ^0 L& d# n, ]- g
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
- e" y5 G& a- r* t( y" _/ [4 Z1 m4 P+ g2 j! W6 N1 P3 [
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
! w. I# l, Z4 t$ k2 c- @/ Q! Rand American speakers of English, |
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