 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The9 k* M: }/ U! J9 n; x B
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the% T$ b3 N0 b# Z1 [- E; y
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
" b4 n5 r4 R% w6 H% @# qand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
( W3 F A6 ~! J0 l8 J: _" g(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of9 B3 r2 G8 g( i! C5 b5 `& }
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).% L% g2 C7 t8 f4 T" S+ K0 d. @. V
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
1 F5 O) L* ^7 W2 [[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]% E) o2 u ]& w P0 B- U
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving1 T0 W' u4 \8 X
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on2 L, a/ q/ c. T( i7 F6 x; [
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
& Q, ~/ K8 i4 d0 G(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
$ K4 s9 D, N$ e: Csegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a# q, f5 O% j. b7 s0 A7 A1 C& w) j
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.& l$ c. D1 Q: a' V% ~0 K+ h6 ?
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
, n4 z9 A& {+ vcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
# J( J9 j5 @' Rthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla.., B1 i: F* A0 p( [0 X- f
: Q& n; F2 j* `9 \6 u" N% ]
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch), m3 f; z5 |* }! C1 x9 T
and American speakers of English, |
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