 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The4 N* \, U; r9 V. y
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
9 a3 t. E [* B/ osyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in," X) p- }5 v2 \0 |+ {$ |
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
# Y: g+ n- a5 U* ~& d$ L(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of3 B ?* x' |6 r9 _" l" Y: G4 I& M
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).0 T; @% A4 \( A5 ~, C- L
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=6 R3 A$ G* n' v; C, Q- c3 o
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”], L M, n. f$ w1 S- d
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
3 `% o0 R# C" r+ Q! v0 A. Uretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on% O" s6 o& M! T2 l
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset" ]9 l# B5 D; M( n! Y
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two. X+ ]$ U( S8 c' |) o% J/ e
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
]+ V$ z4 H' p; z2 Bsemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
& P% ]; h# |- r3 v' {2 C. Vend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* o X2 y* K# f# i
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,3 E% Q) g; t$ \6 a' M! t) f
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..: d6 ?( m" {7 J7 H5 U: [' `3 d" P
; G' n i7 ^9 x. T3 W! y) b(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
* O% p4 ^' i- ^( Iand American speakers of English, |
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