 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% r+ x% W D+ z: U7 h* G: U
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the1 O) Q4 y0 ^- O- D. E1 a7 w
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
9 ?7 p1 X' ^0 U9 yand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
% Q. e9 ~" `! z3 W. K(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of) F4 U7 ]7 O& G3 Y6 o( ~- R4 y# J
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).; U. A' B" U, i3 D
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
6 M2 }, ]3 H4 i. ^" n9 c% i$ S[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]% A3 b# ~& g; B; z6 P: ?
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
4 ~$ l; l# H$ a2 n3 Eretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on+ ?, V9 r6 {+ o; i5 J
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset% j! q0 b3 z; d5 c7 {1 [
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
9 J, P) I6 Z) b: U; zsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a1 u0 [! ^+ `# z
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.( z5 S1 ~. Z: s
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In5 H- E$ X% R* y& f: s
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
! R p6 t- ^! |$ H& |the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
3 `0 i: [; P! F: N4 G2 v; c" |4 o+ T+ T
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
$ g# E' i$ a9 u- q mand American speakers of English, |
|