 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The; v$ J$ a+ V( J, {9 f) M C0 A
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the4 j% e& ?, Z: g+ P, N0 S. ]
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
* A( O1 {( o7 f. uand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
* z c6 P* o P: W, y5 z8 d' q(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
* I5 T# v$ ^9 Z. L# B5 S# Oretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
% {0 S2 `& {+ @- v, sA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=3 \6 ^6 q2 I$ g8 `9 M+ H9 e- C
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]8 B8 T$ x8 L7 M& _7 ]
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
% e) R/ ?+ K1 b7 Iretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
1 o7 c7 I6 U( c8 \1 Tpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset+ R" R& m' b# f. {1 r
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two1 ^! Q# H2 M2 u# j6 C4 ~
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a, t, B2 b4 i5 C8 ]8 }% Z4 m4 k% q
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.6 g& J3 n3 O, ^5 _* {# Q7 T
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In% `! J% \8 r& j; z
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
4 d( e/ _( h$ s5 E/ v6 }& D( Kthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
6 A! P. c1 X+ |7 \# {" T8 @% B7 C# t' B" r6 L5 |
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
- d! B2 K, t/ t& {& Eand American speakers of English, |
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