 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The
* p( S; ]4 f" dInitial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
( x1 H$ _2 H9 x: o* Osyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,
3 @* B+ M( K5 @7 ^0 x, t2 o6 Tand uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial) Z1 }( g& r4 S$ ^/ \ }% R. l/ ]
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of" h$ H" e( ^# [7 y7 s
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
5 f0 L" J+ P9 T3 `& p+ sA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=& }8 O( ?5 j f) G; L# l3 H3 z
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]3 B* @, ^+ l: N! I# s4 u/ \
(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving
( u& L7 B& E# N+ k- _% oretroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on R2 K- t. O2 Y& o8 h* x# c5 _9 ?1 P
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
+ G6 T9 P: a E4 c ]( p(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
; c; j. Y; ]# l+ {+ O& u& Msegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a3 P+ s, Q" w/ q7 K! {
semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.( c" ^3 f$ i$ v- N9 P; J
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
5 G% y+ F6 f" \3 F5 u$ xcompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,$ V/ z5 L( U. Q( p# D" j9 I, M
the latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..6 S k5 E9 m: k% a9 Q8 G! P
- ~" A* Q1 |2 J6 `; h- h: S
(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
7 W7 N# [7 X' c: T" U7 Oand American speakers of English, |
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