 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
' u7 O2 N/ H6 l, T3 _Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the$ H! g$ }, k1 O0 [" `& z
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
# d" e. N. Q7 g6 m8 \; E( X# s% K3 Yand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial1 \/ y) z Z, F- F6 }. Z6 E% G/ t0 U7 k
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
& x7 U! |, n! fretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)./ w y$ ^' x! \- p, C3 d4 b+ Z
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
j8 O) J6 u! k9 p9 [; Q[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]) r! t& O" g3 i9 A1 u
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
4 H& d# g# x; C; r* pretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
: D0 a/ t7 T+ y4 p( Y/ x$ lpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
, v: [4 f( ^5 \2 J(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
" }5 x& G! ]" c- r( osegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
3 l, {& T9 L: O/ U! ?semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
* R5 e! L6 s2 x6 Aend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In" @* |& M: z) `" t9 K
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
( B: M" Y( `$ ?4 f$ ?the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..5 p6 G% s, a. q) g
; o' a% c: R2 H4 X. g
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
Q1 A0 l. r% Q4 k v7 A7 h* Q/ Wand American speakers of English, |
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