 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The ]0 k% R/ Z$ P/ C* z8 k1 W
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
6 I4 U" T1 J+ W( L1 w# [/ ?# xsyllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,( `, g( F: Z3 u: N% t# H
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial
/ `/ ?2 o2 D5 H( v(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of
6 N9 Z9 e! b0 I# q5 iretroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
: ?" U' ^7 m& |8 A. QA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=( Q# h( f0 y3 ?3 }, E/ p
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
@/ U6 B8 [# ~2 f) }8 T) q(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving/ K- H$ J9 W! E# M
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on
9 A( y' t, X. g) C% G2 Ipossible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
# Z8 t4 j5 b" P1 c0 w4 N2 Y+ W(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
; S# }# V I: j& osegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
; ~& f# z+ _: |semivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.9 [4 ]- B5 m) c9 l! l: x
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In* p/ V# ]0 J3 O6 U
compound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
8 j1 O& a/ R2 I) jthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..
" C; d4 H( U2 t2 e! d
- l- ^% A1 U. H4 r& Q5 P(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)
5 i. }0 T- o& A% }and American speakers of English, |
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