 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The3 R4 I6 J0 b4 M( k: T* U
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the3 ^, Z4 k; a2 q$ B
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,$ W0 }) j% a& e \+ r
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
. ~; t* N0 I7 Q$ T* G(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of5 u9 A* N3 n9 N2 o
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).% K: h. }/ G+ V: ^/ u/ }
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
/ i0 z; f2 J/ A0 v9 H[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
- c1 w. r0 ]1 @4 Z(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving! w, ~/ E5 p; A. D% P. O8 c, `
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
9 J5 Y1 z, j: Q$ i5 Npossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
e& D. m, F) Q l; S(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two* K4 y) c Y2 j7 D; W
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a6 M4 H2 `, h" ?/ @6 m% m& K
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
3 n4 y5 _3 z2 \end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In" s* Z4 E$ S w5 e) a
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,; p5 z6 d) S8 Y5 A9 ^# F
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..6 ]: a1 N! K' {- L& N e
; O- a8 ^8 \6 M3 c0 r(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)" g4 |; T0 m' ?/ G
and American speakers of English, |
|