 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The& x2 U( f" G" ~" s0 v: n
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
7 N, r8 t4 M, P2 {6 ?8 m! w1 F6 csyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in, K! p V! P4 H4 y# m- H$ h$ ^
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
( k) b: M, M6 q# T(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of5 H; P2 ]. ?: m4 N# P' Z2 i! Q9 P
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
% r) e T& J/ l5 f& Q1 QA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
% C, l7 r7 @4 c3 V[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
& t6 l( m0 E c(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving$ l2 r3 D; c5 Y0 V6 z9 X: c
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
# O1 P B& b( W8 V" y3 d8 Spossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset+ U0 `9 K h" T1 T
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two* Q1 G1 a( V' Z8 S4 `% u: r
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a( S+ Z6 q0 V' Y9 P) S$ z, E
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
$ s [8 _; X7 r2 Q6 jend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In1 W% R; [$ s) R) Y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
/ a7 e; Y, h* Ethe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..8 ^ l% }; G/ q) E" b
: U& N4 ?) V( Q* K: @: h$ k( M0 u
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)5 w0 {2 A5 i/ U
and American speakers of English, |
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