 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
( D7 _& u. o& aInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the* v3 M& i0 a/ B/ N
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
) w- V; K# J# {: Land uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial& F- i/ b# R# ~. u+ y/ A+ J
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
% g. G$ f2 i& s- I3 m" Cretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).. W% @4 K( u; ~" m* s' p0 D+ m
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
( i1 J8 i q Z" a5 R$ n[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]% p/ i7 u) K4 o( O
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving$ |" J3 g, t/ ^( s* n. x1 f- k" R9 M6 J
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on9 }% f7 |, X( f' g
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
+ Q( R+ T1 y( g" w7 z+ ](Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
' N, ]/ z" q! q( T' [/ h4 t! _2 ]6 xsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
# a( g3 W7 C) v/ qsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
- ?8 i( x e3 l4 Uend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In, n/ y# q$ s3 Y% B
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
6 A& R5 c, a/ { P/ U' Bthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..2 D& e' q; _% y" E% t
0 t* i% p- h- a4 u" ^, ^ g, \* V
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
9 B# h$ f, H' Q' F/ E$ tand American speakers of English, |
|