The Syllable Phonology of Mandarin and Shanghai* San Duanmu

Duanmu (2000) noted that most conceivable syllables are missing in Mandarin Chinese and offered an analysis of the missing syllables with two constraints, which were thought to be universal. In this paper I offer a revised analysis in which two universal constraints are proposed, Rime Harmony and Merge, along with some language specific constraints that are natural but not universal. In addition, I extend the analysis to Shanghai, which has a very different pattern of syllable structure. I show that most missing syllables can be systematically accounted for. The results have implications for the reconstruction of historical phonology, syllable theory in general, and the nature of language universals