 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
7 k2 F8 E5 t. _! Z* d, C$ j6 CInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
6 ?8 b" D3 k$ z+ D9 D9 C, ?5 jsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,2 n6 R: M9 {- W8 f" t4 J6 i: O3 X! `
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial. P4 [ P# L5 [/ w7 _' o( z# E( ?
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
) g; I& E$ q3 Pretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).$ {" b* {% i6 M, Y! r; a4 x! x
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=9 p! z' A# O: c4 C
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
/ y3 n9 ]4 z h. m _% t8 _(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving' J: |, [3 k. k$ G7 @
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on# C% Q$ n, `* S8 ~- ?. T4 `
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
+ \4 s; v" `8 [5 Z- D5 t! G- v(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
5 _& ]7 {! n6 ]1 A- V0 Y# }; isegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a- H; p0 ^, p+ z3 U
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
1 o9 v6 v; C, G0 P8 send with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In& b8 f* G! L( h- I" ` g
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,. @& W: V, G l" i4 r( |
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..1 c% v7 ~- O4 e2 h, V1 I* v; B* @
( M' p/ Y5 u# I. ?4 k
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)& A/ Y* W a3 [# w" _
and American speakers of English, |
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