 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
5 E: O+ X: @! B4 Z+ VInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the: G, ^5 ~. M/ E: e! c _! `
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in, B: N2 r0 _( K; L' N& Q7 d
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
! k( P& x, M2 {(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of$ h& C1 e* |% }$ @# \
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).% Q0 Y1 s+ ? M
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
$ P0 O& B* T: f[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
9 H& G" n1 |1 s. V(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
0 `: ~1 ]6 p% M. v( Z3 ^8 P' eretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
' f- Q2 ^- h: ]' @4 ~possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset8 @! D4 I8 i6 Y7 ?* [7 f5 Z: ~
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
5 Q: M( {% I6 V4 |segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a z9 H; Q0 |' i M: `
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.! y$ E% ]1 E) r; U7 G1 r) J8 V
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
+ i) R6 R, n# V7 Icompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element, L+ Z' `, m$ f# w
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..( N, a/ ^2 c- w; j8 C# t. V/ m
" w5 P z3 f1 H3 I! q" U: a; E(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)) t6 g8 U& |2 V
and American speakers of English, |
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