 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
6 E( D3 L6 g) U/ q+ L, v' WInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the- i* A' c+ G9 \5 y+ E6 c; v% K
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,: a- @6 T. O4 J
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
5 f+ s" B# E! k F3 }3 `(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 ^* f5 j2 X8 N, Eretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).1 q4 Z+ w) |4 ~. t
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
0 Q0 }+ u. W2 C" q4 t. O! b[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”] Q, t4 p4 `- k a, W0 L& A
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
9 N; J7 i$ }# _, Nretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
0 L1 W1 v7 Q8 U! }( dpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset3 n' L# x4 b0 }
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two) p# H/ [( ]5 z9 Y" |# T
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a9 y& t! i/ Y0 W) s$ |$ c
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
' m' s' q7 T+ d; d( v; Lend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In& _2 S7 \7 |# `3 Z& l O) W
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
% Z; v& c; |& Z( p- ~6 \1 [the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..3 o* E5 T8 X: |- Z/ I/ @1 F
6 r9 m! |- A, j
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)) [, K3 k* T, c8 w
and American speakers of English, |
|