 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
3 j8 b7 W% `/ g9 Z% J& q/ B YInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
: |3 L; z3 {6 e' t6 c: p3 o; isyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
" |6 I& ?8 D) T! R( vand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
( C G$ y; B8 ?/ m- j! W0 n(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of* V. u. D, C9 o! x2 B% W# ^" S9 I7 N7 I
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
+ a7 C5 J6 s# ]$ U/ p. SA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
, V: H6 F/ x2 G[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]0 e" ]& `3 ^8 [5 T4 b$ Z
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
% J2 k% }8 k) z* y8 w5 pretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on. H j5 f4 L& D% ^1 Q, |
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset! f4 u: F% h W! P& p( `. k8 r
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
" f- O" t m. m; {' Qsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a- \: {: ]/ I! R! u: V
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.9 R) r$ p3 b, l1 O2 b/ o
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In/ l8 z& f8 d6 {9 E9 g! k/ v" r( P
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,, A& R" n! h6 A+ \9 O `
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..* D5 W1 x. k' Q @2 t7 a9 N
9 F6 p4 }$ Z, J9 [% g7 x8 Y
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)2 b" s( b C* V( G, @7 h5 O
and American speakers of English, |
|