 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
2 _) d1 V: u9 ^- `& `2 ?5 `Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
7 k6 W2 s; f M# Z( A0 Rsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,% {$ M4 i, R7 ?8 ]" Y+ l
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial* {( b8 h9 J5 M T4 I- k) k
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of1 m ^" l c: j( C" ^9 g! p6 n
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
9 Y8 F0 K \' R# c$ BA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
' E' x4 S% u6 v- H/ q+ U[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 a" a' g+ f! |7 k7 t l
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving+ u0 P1 I& s. \4 Q/ X* k- T
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on' C# V+ _8 D3 Z: x
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
* x3 q( Y4 K+ G% s% E. o' B(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two: V9 S' \* x5 ~7 g" k9 A, _
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
! { I; f, @7 n; fsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
. T, h$ \' }6 k4 B5 I: v3 S* ^end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
`4 r8 o) v2 M, }compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
: a) q+ ^; L% c+ ]: athe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
& z; M7 r7 I+ V b8 Z& C- q3 l1 a- M0 ?0 p6 E& S
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
: z! H, w" [8 |2 Uand American speakers of English, |
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