 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
, [3 c* K: T' s7 H1 c2 P: @Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the6 m) R" j' M8 i/ j
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,/ Y; r: M' ^5 c. N$ E$ I
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial( F9 V# I: f3 r% h; S
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
, D+ `$ _) P5 e% Eretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).3 N* A5 m9 t8 S9 r1 i* l* x
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
1 G3 Q- u% n: |% Z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”], `+ H; E/ k% g6 i
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving# d2 m4 z' x2 j: v
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
9 U; @$ Q( z$ F- R& c/ cpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
* }6 f6 _# @# J8 ?' F' d8 ]' e& h(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
& F2 T) k& p! z" e' msegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
: i, P" e. y% e: m3 g4 z* y6 g& usemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
4 o b5 {3 i% _: i1 [end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
1 b/ y X/ ]& u/ p- a8 Zcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
! l# o& ~5 n0 kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
& r. x( }8 P8 T# o/ P# K9 |* ]! q1 S% n) m
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
4 x; t8 V i2 n8 Dand American speakers of English, |
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