 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
/ r( M$ v! o# g$ tInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the6 T3 a% k$ x, q/ n+ K
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
' x) z: |6 I0 T1 i' g2 }6 [and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
7 x' a# y/ M1 ?1 X. B' o; L(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of, R; r3 e2 s; v6 _! z0 \
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).0 @4 z# U* Z: \
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
/ M2 Y7 l( C" m2 V% v) B2 t( P+ T[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
- x! Y. r% e% |5 |(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
6 G t1 o4 h7 L Y7 L/ |$ Lretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on/ X2 h0 u# W6 P7 ^5 i
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
0 G% p+ v: m# {7 i- ^0 u4 \8 Q: F- a& K(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
8 l% l) r# j/ T$ u7 ?- dsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
3 g9 w8 C; S# [+ P$ O% V8 qsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
$ S. T. g- o) U5 u: S& g; Zend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
6 [ k, N9 W Acompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
. @! E; G0 y( S* G5 M3 sthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
( I1 O9 c8 ]+ h4 y! u% p4 m/ Z+ }6 o. F3 o
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
q) t( {! d& C+ pand American speakers of English, |
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