 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
- W# q6 [/ ^* s3 j* m% _* KInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
* D( J6 ?4 r7 R t. B1 z. Y& ~syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,' _& [! {; F/ R
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial$ e$ B! [6 J, V; w* Q- m# O7 t
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
5 D1 V- d1 g2 s. cretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).3 s+ @5 {4 E0 C
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=, R' Q# |/ ?4 m- h3 P, g
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
3 v: x3 f3 }* J& \6 A+ V+ v(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
) C1 u# f& S K- m9 [) C1 I8 @retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on! U. V( J: K! V- I
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset6 x( C/ N1 _' H9 ]! G, {- R% b
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
' ~, n" O4 G( E- Q% ysegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a* m. A8 H) e& P7 v1 f
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.$ T0 L- i' J9 M
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
) e& Q8 G1 B- I6 d' _7 zcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
! o1 u. }1 P" qthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
6 I N6 [4 ?5 J* N, U6 O8 ]* o) R; [* y' ?1 l( Y7 T
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
- ~5 U d% T1 s4 Jand American speakers of English, |
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