 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The% W% V$ G+ T# D" x4 T+ Y9 i; ~$ y
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the3 i8 Q3 u( F: B5 u
syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
$ j1 ~' y3 ]0 y3 Uand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial3 e& f- k/ _( y0 t
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of; D8 o" G% P ?4 E
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’)., {! G0 b8 J; i! i
A Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=5 j- K( ?. d$ u6 w8 p3 K$ y
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]8 K. ^. D, i. O- u4 m2 S2 p
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving1 t; a' @% y$ m: u7 v5 \: H1 A
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
& P. g' s$ F# u; C8 n: Hpossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset# l: U0 L9 v3 }% Q% c, g# V
(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
9 E8 Y6 I% d* m& p# j1 osegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a) V. H; Z# ~' t
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.
: O; s/ M0 h K2 Y; Z, `3 bend with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In) c: w* P# ^" i4 U0 y
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
5 H; l( q4 v' s; {, F1 a0 g" lthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..( O; v0 v. D6 B$ r1 r& ]
3 Y1 G3 G% A( h(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)/ m' r" ^; y1 o& O
and American speakers of English, |
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