 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% {9 d% P' F9 V9 M& r1 `$ j
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the, y9 p/ x/ ^1 E9 Y! y
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,, k z+ {/ g: N( N- G
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial& K9 z+ Q8 r) ~$ Z6 r
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of6 D% B! Y- y% q; O) C) R
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)., O# t+ N2 F/ F, T! q \3 ]" a
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
/ A9 I2 I! ?& T/ i: ]( g[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
+ T( r1 a. J3 ^, K% ?) w/ d(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
5 l5 X/ N* _6 Xretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on i6 |" G* u9 v9 ~# i" E
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
/ t- g* l4 }, n$ m(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
0 J! e1 a; w/ N: isegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a! X% y' v- _" C
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.' V6 m; V! M* t
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
% a7 Q" ?, ~# j5 p! H# c0 K4 qcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element, \! A$ q P, O0 u
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla.., c& U$ E. [2 t4 H2 U2 x7 x
. X2 H, L- @+ s; N! |% Y" g7 y
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)1 L Q: G, ~9 E$ f A$ i3 H
and American speakers of English, |
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