 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% a# o- G# Z, j! I
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the( D& f2 v- o0 k) ~9 v3 s4 e7 M
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,9 q; h4 r7 t9 `- h- o% W
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
8 R( a8 J ^- }# \' m(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of+ t+ R6 u& | x6 u% D
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
/ b& U! J0 h( E z2 T: F) W# D+ e0 OA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=0 W$ \2 g* B; ~8 [( j
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
! G2 t) U( i @2 Z(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving+ h; v" j7 {$ @' R: h# D
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
2 @( D2 K: A0 ?' C3 ^ Kpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset$ V( q9 M! A" t* e
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two# Y) _( ^1 c2 x4 `' C# y
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a+ s; g% ^! {! Z/ a
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
O1 g0 o2 `0 qend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In7 N* e' j& A: I8 L9 N! O
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,; y% u) ~) @3 q; [; \. W) f
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..* s& s7 }% E4 H" i. A1 a# o
" h5 N7 ]4 g9 I4 Y
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
( [. E. Y9 M( V6 Cand American speakers of English, |
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