 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The3 P: j" v. h! P4 [( D$ [
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& f* @6 {+ p$ C, {0 v' L% Msyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
$ X/ a5 z: a( U/ A J" gand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
, Z7 ~6 P) ?# ^, c, }& y" g(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of* b8 [3 I6 Y' }# U3 O) u7 u
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
1 x( r9 J6 Q9 y! P+ {1 x. N, z gA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=8 r7 `+ V8 z$ V8 @/ [* v
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
6 f, H! u+ \$ A- c s(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving( |2 m' t) Q2 ^# M7 j; P% c
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on2 N4 u% C& T: q0 g; n
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset5 N- w: d* h9 c% E0 A
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two- t m+ G5 d3 q0 v( P
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a# A) s2 @. L2 l% k& h" l
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
2 Y2 m2 `8 W& h O w7 a- g2 ?end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In- k4 [8 t/ _/ V _$ p$ K
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,7 Q! C/ }# ` r$ ~$ g% M$ t r
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
+ J# W' | d) z
3 G; f, l/ V+ `/ _ j. o" o(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
, B: s: `! R+ b8 ~and American speakers of English, |
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