 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The+ P0 |4 j% j, d
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the* }/ d0 ~) K. X' c2 t, G% Q z
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,+ N; S9 n3 v1 \5 i4 F; i* z0 t
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial& y3 }/ K) }2 Q: K, W# A7 j- ^
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
# O. N6 t) u% U4 K( W O$ Eretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).0 J% @5 F" r7 l! K# r
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
7 p+ {( e$ d( u[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
% G& j# h* g" b' [$ E3 l1 e# t(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving5 u' O( q/ s Y! R$ K8 ]! d- c
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on3 D1 g* F0 o7 b' k5 u& c
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' D! l$ ~: k9 s! P
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two( I1 Y# b7 ~/ g: O" ^' z/ C- C) G
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a7 z- c" N9 A: _+ b1 _+ a' V
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
9 Q6 K# U8 S- y& Xend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
9 {0 V5 r9 p$ i8 @- q' h" g3 [compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
. D8 F7 O$ _3 g3 X" B3 Z: Tthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
* D: G8 s4 \' @! c9 C3 p% s. h3 K- Q/ ~ d7 ~
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
! _( |: c2 W: P" G3 iand American speakers of English, |
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