 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The a4 z* Y1 [7 w9 M" Z
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
# ?5 ?2 e1 w4 X5 [syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,* t+ a( z0 a ~& H6 e
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
9 ^% W: q6 z( ^2 C( K6 g: T(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of2 M* t9 m& B, u/ }! _3 J# \
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).7 |: `2 _- U/ T4 }4 N* j# n
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
& ]% v7 A9 g& y# H/ g) b[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]! P4 f7 E. q; X; E: L+ c
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
T' _! M U" a' Wretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on1 m5 D1 D1 d2 `/ t( U! {! L
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset$ b& i) E- r2 w$ R# N
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
9 O F6 @! D3 w1 m, A1 p psegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a4 y7 A V4 @1 j1 ^/ p7 r0 {# [
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.8 e- I: h B0 p& D
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
* [, o' H ^) v& [compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
8 \4 y( e/ `$ _: Kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla... p. F; c- Z* A
' ]/ h+ A& D1 G1 x: T8 n% h, }) c6 `( C
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
' Z& R l0 e0 k3 n5 wand American speakers of English, |
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