 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The8 u R/ U9 N6 P( q% \
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
' m/ ~7 t, n# b6 M! o" Usyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in, r# N ~. i' Y0 j" K8 v
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
! u7 ~! C0 r* T1 a(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of N \! K6 P& X2 e& R0 ~& Y% \
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
2 r) B6 g/ S5 AA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=' }; Y4 [, H4 y( E, N6 Q
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]/ Z2 ^& k: e2 O% Z
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving# O, Z) M- x# j. d; C( C& ?
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
/ e& @$ P! T. g8 [8 [5 d+ rpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
U. A# a. o# P% g(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
$ |0 Y( k6 N/ _7 O( W4 ssegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a6 O: f2 S$ n' [8 J9 y c
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e., L; h. A2 V1 a n$ T& l
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
: ]6 M( ?1 a$ b# R+ j/ Gcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,- M4 O, Q& Q- e h7 T6 l
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
' a- D6 F; s& j$ @" S2 a0 p/ A& |: r4 h
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
) z0 V) k/ F0 I$ _* g: wand American speakers of English, |
|