 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
5 q Z3 @. w. Q5 L5 S( S& VInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the9 q1 ]$ \( p0 z
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
+ Z% `, [& u+ F5 o) B% U$ A( oand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial' I" Q1 ]! B$ A0 v0 r
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 I' D/ t$ q% h$ k3 k! r5 Tretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).2 S/ ]1 m, I1 s* r
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
6 d& K2 n' v8 n* C" \" z[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”] b; z# Z S4 Q' N0 G
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
- l! q) C [ t$ q& Lretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
6 S* e' W! A- _8 Epossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
7 e) _. W! ~: h, t" m(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two: A* w! q% e5 C4 g1 z
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
! k" e7 E1 L ?semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.% c) |; k. C* d+ j' x% B1 U! H
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
" n; D* c9 e7 B3 X- x9 x1 u0 Rcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
/ S) `' X1 p8 O5 l1 zthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
2 J* m. p( d( p' `* V* t
" k) ^* s$ ]% ]( d5 p5 w$ \(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
8 p1 i3 C( D. Gand American speakers of English, |
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