 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
* v- Y0 t% G1 P/ H( xInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the4 x/ B% w5 Y% z3 R
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
, B* g! W8 Y, X, rand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial0 z. l M4 U# G# O6 x' K
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
5 G/ m# k5 l( F, }6 c& sretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).; E+ e4 `6 P+ @5 `! r
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
; u- s A" |) i. `9 I' u: `[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]3 z" Y$ J/ s4 Y
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
# p7 _; |9 C+ h" r6 h! o) ~! H, fretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on3 v8 c% X; ~' l2 l
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset6 u( u( X7 T+ t, }7 v
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two1 h/ }/ J, @" I, [* J9 M+ F) v
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
' b p, n$ ?: X" l& I7 f* |semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.* |& a# P7 t9 W9 F. O3 Y0 C
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
( S+ t6 O* m0 }0 l8 |* `compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
6 d2 z; S6 {+ r3 o, c. {the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..# l5 H; {5 w5 R0 j e3 K, r
! o3 @0 j: s, {$ p5 P _6 w(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)! z" y8 n! y) o8 Q, F+ V" Z \
and American speakers of English, |
|