 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The( \7 J, ` E0 f% Q* t- N
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the C1 I: @5 D2 N+ s* G. N, d+ _) W4 P$ X
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
8 `4 |' R, u! L# L4 a5 x+ V, X" l% vand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
% ]( A g- I9 b, l1 V @1 ](or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of0 L2 D- s+ Y/ b% s1 B
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)., Z* n5 Y1 G1 |2 r$ c' q
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=# Y. {* z* t( ^. J8 d
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]% T1 l0 F9 Y& M2 F( |4 r |0 _* Z
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving1 b& f1 n$ {' I1 ]& A6 F& l
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
2 g+ ?! V/ Q& ]6 e9 Upossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset, C) T' }9 u5 X1 L& W
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
0 S9 }5 }+ J9 I/ U- u/ esegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a6 k4 h- U5 C6 E L* B: X
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 Z: x/ g. E1 `( @end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In5 N: d2 A; A6 H- O* N) b- S/ x
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,& ~- |6 y( P; @0 l
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..) @% s: I( R0 m8 L9 I
8 s/ `' L$ l! `! v8 x(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)7 X. U6 ~8 L2 d- j' K
and American speakers of English, |
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