 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The" L: }9 ]5 k$ j8 v* @) S& l! K) |. t
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
# e; |( B; m/ k1 x, Jsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
/ z% S+ N( B9 C% J1 Z% Aand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial) Z- M* T- E4 H0 q: s( m
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
& O2 P, r' W) ?) j0 f& oretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).+ _$ U- I/ `9 }9 q9 R t
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
/ n9 Q) A3 z' i: M2 q) [- B[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
- }2 o7 X( Q, w" q(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
, v' K# Z" B& J* ^retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on) C1 [3 d" D6 i, X# j8 ~
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset6 y9 ~: R; ]8 {: H9 ?, }! @
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
' {5 b$ ^% {! a( J# A7 ~$ m" csegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
5 M0 p5 A$ ]: O- Bsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
/ q0 b. Q2 F$ M* i0 w tend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In# A+ L/ @$ I% ?+ b
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
+ _0 i3 w: F9 P, ?, q, ]the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..( _% ^3 v' f5 M# p7 x" a- U
( F' u& |% T5 \9 D$ o; j1 l
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
7 o1 r# q) m& B, l4 L U$ w' ^and American speakers of English, |
|