 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The8 V5 c$ U i% Q3 m
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the! [/ R: U# P) d7 U j$ q0 K
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in," l8 o2 z9 U: L9 ]9 W
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
% j" \, ]) y- s(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
+ X0 X$ J8 v; a" X) }retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).8 y& B9 l+ ]0 a" T2 B, v/ p: g
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=4 h- d' g7 O! L& ?) L2 o3 B: j
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]3 W( ?/ b# c' P1 c% }; P
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
6 i; w( ?% m" ]/ Rretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on) e. l" x- {' F% v( ]! H( y
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
$ I) R3 Z Y/ k+ i( d(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
. A8 r) N- M+ Y+ W0 e( m' S' xsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
- H5 X- {; c5 a) t }1 Dsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.3 {8 t! {$ Q% Z$ j. Q
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* p) H: \0 I6 O8 O
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
% X" D$ a" @1 N/ }* y0 ythe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
6 I" e, `: U4 [' N; e1 N5 {% n1 m; {3 N; h1 n
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
3 G: d( ^0 y, \. Jand American speakers of English, |
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