 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( F5 V8 ~, l# \9 G1 E7 lInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& i* T+ [" y8 |& d) qsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,. v) `7 i* O3 v" c( |
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial# w1 u# v% o9 N* t4 u( S3 ]
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
9 P/ R4 f2 a& j9 h( K# q2 Sretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).; Q3 G2 }5 ~+ S: h) n8 h
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
# {$ ~: [0 O5 K. K) S# \ r& j[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 n; \2 P- m3 b) v7 |# q
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
) s8 [% x6 N0 o, D7 ^retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
& c$ o b( w; f5 w2 B+ epossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' K2 j z% g8 R$ x: G
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two& {# t: [/ i' Y; r- i9 d$ I" o7 A
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a7 v( t' e1 P; O* n1 N' T
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e. D, P. g. c6 a# V1 N
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In. ~3 J5 ^5 c# f( k
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,# L0 x8 j# @/ B9 B
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..% p/ r. G7 H/ P9 x' f
9 a' F. | s3 v4 @5 m9 B- n(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)# e' m! R" c" W- T9 B ~4 |1 w
and American speakers of English, |
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