 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
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Traditional Chinese phonology divides the syllable into an Initial and Final. The# h8 f7 s: \' s+ j' P
Initial is the way a syllable begins, usually with a consonant. The Final is the
1 U( v1 k: ~$ }2 |) ^syllable minus the Initial. For example, in ta, chi, jin, chuang, the Finals are a, i, in,3 t# R, \ h9 d3 o& B! b
and uang, respectively. The longest form of a Final consists of three parts: a medial: o+ p: k( s& O z7 u, ~8 E0 d: K
(or: semivowel), a main vowel (or: head vowel), and an ending (or, in the case of2 \/ d% l: g6 j; ]9 `# K' Q
retroflex suffixes, sometimes two endings, as in the er-sound ming’er ‘tomorrow’).
4 z8 n; W0 V, I, XA Final in Mandarin comprises one of four medials: º (empty), /i/, /u/, or /iu/ (=% B2 T0 Y6 Y4 x0 R" M( H0 s' {' o
[y], one of three vowels: /a/, /e/, or /o/, and one of six endings: º, -i, -u, -n, -N, and [”]
4 H7 g1 m# R$ q W/ J0 m2 P(phonetically -r).13 Actually, there are only 40 different Finals (if Finals involving6 I; K, C8 c; |5 }) o% x
retroflex suffixes are not counted). As a result of these very severe restrictions on1 C, t. ]: N: i8 W! Z* A; T* I
possible syllables in Mandarin, no obstruent clusters are possible in the onset
+ l u$ q8 f" H4 @) R Y(Initial) nor in the coda (Final). Onset clusters can maximally have a length of two
& S+ b2 p0 X5 Jsegments, in which case the consonant closest to the vocalic nucleus must be a
' J0 J+ _7 o1 Q+ Ssemivowel. Coda clusters are disallowed; in fact, syllables are generally open, i.e.! x5 ~: g" W! w: |; J
end with a vowel. The only possible coda consonants are the nasals /n/ and /N/. In
! b7 y$ l3 w: f3 M$ _8 w4 z! ]( ecompound vowels with /a, e, o/ as the first segment and /i, u/ as the second element,
! v3 ` |8 U% ]8 u) E9 Y# Zthe latter are phonetically realised as semivowels, creating a diphthong. .. bla...bla... bla..9 Y' A; w4 q; G4 }' X- R) p
7 |1 {+ B- F+ I: w(source: Wang Hongyan, year unkown, English as a lingua franca:Mutual intelligibility of Chinese, Dutch)) K: ]: w3 @/ W, X5 W* S
and American speakers of English, |
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