 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
& Q2 t0 R T* ]/ M# [7 ]/ Q* jInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the8 p: D/ }6 G! K, E% v4 Q8 x
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
2 S6 I# ?7 s" {' }0 B# ]and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
1 n0 l }0 O+ [6 @8 q(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
: \: P! R% n/ j1 Uretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)., @+ a, @8 i! ]: N( n
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=$ }8 c, k3 ?' L
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]2 I$ K* G: _# W; a
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving& ^' P* M) B& [6 i
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
; f0 D0 V+ a7 S4 _" Dpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset% T3 n }) ^8 E- s' T) m
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two0 N) l/ A8 }* ]( | V1 q1 I9 j
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a$ f) d$ {& D Z/ b
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e." Z, _" ~( c2 P, |
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
2 }% F; u; p% \! _2 x" Icompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,' P( D& G j1 u8 E% a# F8 q2 W
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..- a& \0 T! H: V
- U& u, \# X4 e6 W2 j4 z G4 ~4 @
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)5 j" z2 _& e) j1 Y
and American speakers of English, |
|