 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% Q$ c2 d0 R1 h: o; V5 i
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
2 l' U& D. y9 Csyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in," I+ z% k* A+ j
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial* }) M7 T* @6 r R
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of" ~( s: W* [, p2 n$ W' {
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).- C, G& g6 O& Z; E: E. F3 b: m/ M
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=4 M4 c0 v% f& y& P" r$ [, s
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]9 B6 J/ ^$ g" }# B8 a$ j2 U
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
_( ]0 O x7 O3 ]3 t+ }0 cretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on2 M0 f. f6 d( q* h# M' y1 ]4 C
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset) a: ]; M, c" _. s
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two1 c& k/ C6 k; Q5 [: C
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
9 M" Z- Q3 ]9 ysemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
$ v# k9 N* k0 u2 ?$ s) a, `4 hend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In: y: w" q. k3 e- M' ~. `
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,* Z. N. |7 V6 R/ w. L5 C% w) M
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
$ p6 Q- G7 v& N e0 q& c+ _6 V$ C. z; C! c9 o1 v3 c
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)* O, G9 g' O, z: X
and American speakers of English, |
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