 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
L+ Y& q3 `4 G/ H0 `% kInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
" d0 w" @: L- w% @+ \4 h& U' }syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
5 R) ~5 L9 ~ X- k; s1 hand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial0 i7 X. Z! q; s2 b5 c1 s* p5 r
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
8 M9 x; `$ z) M1 S( y3 a& Iretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).7 X/ `' B2 f3 h- ?1 S$ e+ }* ?4 r
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
9 i$ @* B, T. O! q2 v[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
! X, ^% X7 P/ L7 d" P! ](phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
4 u4 u5 C+ F4 t2 R5 `+ @( vretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
9 R- J3 y6 E' l4 \& tpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
, y+ S( c1 \0 `9 _# Z3 q(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two$ U# j3 h( i6 K( ~
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
$ [+ s6 Q* \$ R& N( Z: Rsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
) W$ X: L% J& \! _end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In5 l; J- d2 X& r0 ^% N' ~
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
; o. G% o) t( M6 V1 w& G! o: S t+ Cthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
' n" _& Z* b2 X; l# ^; T" O
& L4 h& B4 `! n/ z! @(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch): d: m* P' d# a4 P; R$ B4 d1 Y
and American speakers of English, |
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