 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The$ F- E% q( M( i1 k6 K
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
& g: }9 s) W! j2 S" |syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,' A* ]7 R4 x, o3 X& X7 p
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
& H! n( ?9 S7 @& c(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of: q( Q- j, [- e! ]
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
: m3 Z3 K2 z! j; l% lA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=) L3 y9 E; D1 i$ j
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
" w/ h4 w: w& g! \8 y% g(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving( z5 I& q& W N: w) j/ Z& S
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
3 Z; I3 C" ^/ M9 T6 L( q- C0 c, C: bpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset& T, b' m8 D) E+ M8 f
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
4 g% T* I! k( e* g# ksegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a" E$ C( g6 n% f" j- a4 o; f$ U4 {
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.: M8 w0 H# _/ [0 W; b! r
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* G0 S' w9 o6 x! Q( J( n2 O6 [
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
1 f6 i# j+ B3 \+ Z2 ~5 G4 z, Cthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
1 ]$ s- D7 f, ^. C
|# N$ `7 ~' X! @9 P) p: d! a(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
( k4 ?* ]: T2 V, Z+ |and American speakers of English, |
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