 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The6 S7 [0 b9 `; h% M3 [
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
) b {: ?# f* X4 L* `& msyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
$ p% j- P7 ]% Z7 j# S0 F/ P$ _and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
2 Z7 ^8 j: d( J) {& @. T) g(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of! ^- I8 f/ y5 K0 X
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).9 w( e* S1 b+ {8 v( q& N T4 s( D; u0 E
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=
) M1 j: k' Y8 _5 _3 v( B[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
1 M. f) G) [, k/ j(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
) o7 Q( F$ K' h* C4 f; x! Hretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
/ Y* M& ], L/ G7 Hpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset0 f/ \( \1 b6 X6 p' ~8 l' X. f( ]
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two! ?/ L- ]1 s. l w
segments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
9 x" i. l4 a1 ]semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.4 H; m! E! Y9 Y& t- C) g8 l
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In5 r0 `5 R, B6 d) ?
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
7 k2 T4 H4 i( V: zthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla.." u: E$ x" ^+ @# r* q+ W
5 Q- F3 \* b4 |$ U, q
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
5 c0 e9 v8 K' L8 H$ b. l I, gand American speakers of English, |
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