 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
1 o. U5 w( F+ D5 m/ OInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
8 ]1 C7 e# J7 g2 F! rsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
# Q _7 B( H h! A, z0 [/ [3 Iand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
2 P [! m, K. B4 r* y(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 ^, H: V! q$ t- Tretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).9 b; s. I+ v: u8 k
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
7 F# m' k; ` g9 E) B, M K/ @( O2 p[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 l0 ]5 m( J2 L
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
( P# m1 ?1 X5 S4 l S5 T2 Oretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on0 K: t6 P5 P0 N
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset& G) I2 n2 K3 C: g5 T5 w
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two3 f7 h8 `" L; ~' o+ g; l, o
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
; c8 s. s n% X1 r3 @1 vsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
* v0 x, i, k, E/ r* F1 {# [8 Rend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In0 d- j0 w1 i$ j; s' P! ]' J
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
/ z: D0 a; d4 I; G" i0 Ythe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..4 L! I" A8 h9 U& ?
+ R( g1 u6 l7 S3 `; l7 h8 W
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)/ c5 x- o# w7 E* \
and American speakers of English, |
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