 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
L0 @$ b# a' A/ XInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the; J4 V) [3 q6 V/ u$ z" V0 u
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,- c* o3 u7 [' A
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
& M! f8 y& m) T/ M(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of4 |5 S% E, Y, N }. P/ y3 \
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
& w% A/ Z0 K) UA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
# A3 {6 P' z0 s% ]" ]: T+ M[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]1 |+ z* N, ^$ S* Z4 }) i
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving0 `, Z( W* d! x% I4 C3 d) ~, l
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
# H0 k6 G; v, C& E5 r$ y4 M( k' Bpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset7 i) I: N: v7 r3 k* n
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two( l1 Q$ ^3 Y y5 O" R+ [! N: l
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
* w' Q6 n2 o: Y0 i" E: ssemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e., H6 w# d+ c7 Z* q3 R& n
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In& H% B; ^! }# {4 } A' f5 ~# W
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
5 I" d- Q& n& X/ t$ hthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..6 P% a9 e z- Q8 H" ?% q! D, D& ^5 D
6 Z: R! z$ o# ?6 U7 Q. W! [4 Z0 l
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
: A* {" e( S# M$ g5 H# N. sand American speakers of English, |
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