 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The2 s: L9 }: j& r) e
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the6 N2 v; | `. C) \
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,8 r$ J- P3 @& E0 S3 s: l* h3 R4 Z5 T
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
8 ~5 L9 m% ~% F(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
) [8 f" M$ @) a. {. ^$ y. J+ pretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
+ [7 A' v9 I1 K5 _9 SA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=0 O' ] q# \+ \* `& z8 T4 M
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]8 `! S+ }2 U5 v
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving- i8 h% ^1 _/ }5 _" a$ K
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
7 j9 g$ R( B7 C7 O3 ] u1 T" \possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset) g& `& V; ]/ u1 s
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
# O7 b; }( v3 e7 ]. Gsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a0 t9 U' ^- m6 i2 d: H* h# J) {, j" x" L
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
/ X5 ~" F- s' F$ `8 q. dend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In9 p- _# y# T, ]5 ~% J
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
d# D# ^6 P% S. [9 g! r, H' i* ^the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
# _! Y6 h( I2 g W% N: ?$ g' c6 r8 b# ^+ J& p- [% J" d
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
F9 @0 e8 v, ]and American speakers of English, |
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