 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
8 F& Q2 c; V, O0 I5 Z1 y3 |; wInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
* c0 H) q5 h& S w( _syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
, K2 V4 Q g4 P/ vand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
- N$ N7 B2 ^" {. z(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
& y5 Q- n- [, r% L# l/ n" a8 iretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
% _0 ` N0 A2 f) U( o: XA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=3 y$ k1 v. }. n5 ]. W, j
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]8 m: `& c. m8 G# N
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
$ G4 t5 g# J& |1 `retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on. T. b1 h2 A/ H, e0 i* J# |* o
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset1 d$ O( Q) V4 @# h
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
& Y" H/ ^# o0 Q6 ~1 ~segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a5 S. K! c; n& U
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.! A! Z* z6 V0 ]5 R; w
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
1 |1 f+ @ z/ V" Ocompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
8 C% t) p& H( V0 F5 N. rthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..2 o7 W$ c/ J4 N( F3 T" @& U
8 {3 n5 B6 y: ~0 |
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)5 L4 L% U/ @- h' Q% d, X5 ]4 Q
and American speakers of English, |
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