 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The @2 p0 f' i( L
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the0 n& v0 ?( s/ M9 ?' Z! W" X' Z2 J: {0 g
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,$ r$ @% [# K+ D( u! a
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial0 b7 y6 A5 ^: Q8 D2 H. u/ l x
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of; g3 E$ }: [: }& O q% R, d8 P
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
^0 ]& _$ D9 T: ~4 BA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
' L6 j) J* q0 S: ~3 f# Y0 E[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]% F5 k. h, u O: t
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving% w& S9 p& ]6 {6 Q$ C7 S
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
7 T7 q+ K, R' _" t5 f3 ypossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
7 c( m! r- h6 H8 n$ _* t. J(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
1 v# u% D: ?) F' E( Ksegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a' d, `, ]) P3 k( U
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.) A y* i8 l. \* q* w
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In/ F7 d: R& ?) Y% A3 C [0 b; @
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,! t9 z$ i3 p" @* P# f, y; w
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..5 ]3 T# w3 {' D
h; m* {, v! I! n, Y(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch) V7 j. R( i9 a% o( O6 E, b& `
and American speakers of English, |
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