 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
% X9 C+ ^* C' [: m# EInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the- m2 N3 d) |" o. q" Q
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,0 w' v( p5 N, ?9 C
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
" K+ L/ J& A$ \( u# j5 [, O(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
9 c* w- U- h0 G3 _' P3 C0 B0 xretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
6 O# {; s( m3 |7 b/ B, N9 W0 q" n' J7 XA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=) k0 Q: n0 Q7 [
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]3 c7 w2 k$ r6 p5 _6 I A) ~
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
3 X# h( v% C* V% q8 Q% U% Tretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on; t* C. Z+ H2 x( x( \( E7 @7 c
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset% S! b( v8 ~- g; y! w* m% c
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
+ g& U. d1 v/ k% \7 ^# Usegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
5 w7 c% b! [$ S2 q$ x7 ]& }% Bsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.. e: n6 ]4 \2 _# K: _
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
' A2 p9 C3 k5 V5 G7 h! \2 ycompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,; t% V/ ]: S8 d' t9 P% G9 r
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
$ b8 R4 p/ t1 B' p& t5 ?
, W* t& A/ o0 U( x. n. H. a; p ]( `(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)" ?# b5 S( \& g/ b4 Y1 c o
and American speakers of English, |
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