 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
; Q$ f( b; g& E4 FInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the; p( l/ Y5 } _% |. p* i" |
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
1 v& \! Y( b4 v: V4 N* U8 k. ~and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
+ b( J P/ j, D. e6 ?(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of( k5 b: g) K( N2 F
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
$ x6 r5 [' [# Y1 m2 G' OA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=, M% z& R, L, R# i9 @
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]' j$ \/ _ c" f
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
" P. a4 f+ [) H/ qretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
: h; C) R4 E: ]5 j# tpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset' W" Q# w4 Y0 V* d- }& g+ |
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two. y/ k; c/ t4 u$ Q% t# R
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a% W# q2 P% y4 u( m
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 \& @ E' L8 F! Y+ I: cend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
, z( y @: V2 M2 kcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
' c8 x: E; N( F4 x0 o; kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
4 {( O+ y1 w$ b+ c, `; @4 K! W( `1 ?8 G2 ?0 V- n' d6 X0 P
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)% ?! V/ v- Q1 T4 L$ N/ F
and American speakers of English, |
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