 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
+ t+ [: B2 l( G! j q+ DInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
D7 P4 D. H5 y& R5 J# o- o# `syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,6 F" [% j( E- Q8 M9 Z* x, w
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial. a% e" A" L9 I
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of0 {& r- K# z" x7 Z! h* J
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
& G) i H# r7 F$ V& I2 UA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
$ K! I2 |2 X; m[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]& L% o! t7 q' Q- D, Q. H
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving+ o& z" @, V' D) F+ r4 ^, c t5 a
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
6 v/ X/ N f; [2 k" [# opossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
, O0 [$ Q5 }% \( e1 q(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two* {! h' y: X, E; Q2 x
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
. ^7 P/ m+ x8 B# j2 xsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
, Y8 h! u$ ?( w& }1 P$ W9 Cend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* e, q0 b _3 V! E
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
3 u {: d8 R. ?4 ?5 i! b. Uthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
: l; C: C+ r: E+ j( L' N" G
2 c+ J6 N, @. Y- ?# ^. F(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)8 ~# R- M. B4 f/ q0 l2 F2 y @; I4 ^
and American speakers of English, |
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