 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
$ \; t) o) l+ N1 WInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
' t. `0 Q2 j9 [# z* wsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
7 {# O5 Z. M: f Land uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
4 i3 N. Z1 P( S, m(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
/ q: ^* w' v& ~0 B+ K7 bretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
' O) q- r9 k6 QA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
2 ~, u4 Y* f+ v! g/ }' _+ F[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
8 g0 a4 Q* x& E$ s3 E(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving" b' A2 r% l" d! Q% i
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
$ y9 d) l- ~! opossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
# U# _0 t1 ^! Y7 _9 S/ ?( E, E3 y* M(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two# w7 o+ @& w, h! i. z& Y
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
, B0 `( X! I6 C: s5 V# E2 s Wsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.% h9 A+ f6 {# B4 X
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
+ N0 T0 D+ @# y4 zcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
* V9 n7 J. ^( `; j2 n/ Athe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
! E8 z" C6 d( i7 E; e4 ~) ]" Z8 U, l3 @' K2 T
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)' a! L/ v* W/ R, Q5 e9 e
and American speakers of English, |
|