 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
+ F/ ?. @8 w0 T2 F( D; z3 jInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the2 h! r1 h8 V1 m3 h! c! ^0 ~9 h8 |
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
; K1 m+ }7 T$ ?" cand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial |8 o/ z+ U8 v, M3 U6 w7 y, H' I
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of) V( L+ I$ y8 a
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).9 N4 G3 k% \4 D+ t- x; j, @
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=6 J% i; H+ V- u1 ], f5 F
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
5 ~# S9 u( E$ j% i6 e/ M- m(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving3 K9 V9 `6 h3 V& j9 O6 A1 w# j& \: h, `5 d1 j
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on& V! l& h7 l! V. p8 @$ h
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
" S9 p" D; C' A% |. v+ ~) g0 `; F8 | w(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two) \* a9 |8 o' B- M
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
5 C2 g7 ]. `& }7 E+ zsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.4 E; Q6 y# j0 O
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In6 F% v0 [3 B* e$ {* Y% N
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
! O: A8 D6 y/ B/ U3 b9 U; i' wthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
* M I ^' U, D0 Y1 u. o( |, l* F( b6 j
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
. |1 m `5 v% C$ K7 |4 k* h, w1 ]- }and American speakers of English, |
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