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UNIT 8 - Syllable

The document discusses the structure of syllables including components like onset, rhyme, peak, and coda. It describes types of syllable structures and possible consonant clusters in onsets and codas. The document also covers topics like strong and weak syllables, unstressed vowels, and syllabic consonants.

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Nhi Duong
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67 views

UNIT 8 - Syllable

The document discusses the structure of syllables including components like onset, rhyme, peak, and coda. It describes types of syllable structures and possible consonant clusters in onsets and codas. The document also covers topics like strong and weak syllables, unstressed vowels, and syllabic consonants.

Uploaded by

Nhi Duong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNIT 8: SYLLABLES

OVERVIEW
 Phoneme: the smallest unit of sound to
distinguish different words, conveying different
meanings.
 Syllables: - a unit of pronunciation containing a

single vowel sound.


- The next higher unit than a phoneme
 Syllabication is the process of analyzing the

patterns of vowels and consonants in a word to


determine where the word breaks into syllables.
 Phonotactics: The study of the possible
phoneme combinations of a language
STRUCTURE OF SYLLABLE
 One word can have one syllable
(monosyllable) or more than one syllable
(polysyllable)
 Examples:
- One syllable: cat, rat,..
- Two syllables (disyllable): nation, mother,…
- Three syllables (tri-syllable): beautiful,
qualify,..
- Polysyllable: nationality, modernization,…
Structure:
Components of a syllable

Syllable

Onset Rhyme/ rime

Peak/ nucleus coda


TYPES OF SYLLABLE STRUCTURE
 Minimal syllable: Just vowel (No onset, no
coda, Just Peak/ Nucleus)
e.g. are, or,…
 Onset + Nucleus/ Peak
e.g. key, more
 Peak + Coda:
E.g. in, ease
 Onset + Peak + Coda
e.g. sit, dog
Onset/ Coda: Consonant cluster

IN ONE SYLLABLE:
 Onset: Initial consonant/ consonant
cluster
 Peak: Vowels
 Coda: Final consonant/ consonant

cluster
CONSONANT CLUSTER: Onset
 Without onset (Peak/ Peak + coda): zero onset
 TYPES OF CONSONANT CLUSTER

1- Initial two-consonant cluster:


 /S/ + /p/t/k/f/m/n/ pre-initial + Initial
- S: pre-initial
- p/t/k/f/m/n: Initial
 /p,t,k/ + /l,r,w,j/ Initial + Post- initial
- /p,t,k/: Initial
- /l,r,w,j/: post-initial

Exception: /s/ + p/t/k /s/ + /l,w,r,j/


slide/ swear/ sue/ suit
CONSONANT CLUSTER: ONSET

2- Three-consonant cluster

 Pre-initial + Initial + Post-initial

 S+ /p,t,k/ + /l,r,w,j/

e.g. splay, string, spray, screen,…


Square / skw../ stew /stj…/, screw
/spj/ dis.pute / di’spju:t/, scute/ skju:t/
CONSONANT CLUSTER: Coda
 Without coda: zero coda
e.g. nor
1- One consonant coda: Final consonant (any consonants except h,r,w,j)
E.g. cat: Onset+ peak + coda (final /t/)
2- Two consonant coda:
 Pre-final + final

 Pre-final: /m,n,l,s,η/ + final: lamb, lend, blend, help, fast, ask, bank
 Final + post-final:

 Final + /s,z,t,d,θ/
 Beds/ bedz/ asks/ a:sks/ -s: pre-F
 -K: F
 -s: post-F
 Cats/ k….ts/- K: Onset- I
 - t: final
 - s: post-F
CONSONANT CLUSTER: Coda
3-Three-consonant clusters
 Pre-final+ Final + Post-final

- Pre-final: /s, l,n,m,η/

- Final: any consonant except h,r,w,j

- Post-final: /s,z,t,d,θ/

 asks/ a: sks/ lambs/ l…mbz/- mends/ mendz/ , /twelf0/,

banks/ b … …….ks/ -ng: pre-F, K-F, s: PF

 Final + Post-final 1 + Post-final 2


 Final: any consonant except h,r,w,j

- Post-final 1: first consonant after Final

- Post-final 2: second consonant after Final

- next/ nekst/- k: F, s- PF1, t-PF2


CONSONANT CLUSTER: Coda
4-Four-consonant cluster

 Pre-final + Final + Post-Final 1 + Post-Final2


e.g. twelfths/ prompts
/ twelf0s/  coda: l – pre F,
f- F
0: PF1 s: PF2
 Final+ Post-final 1 + Post-final 2 + Post-final 3
 Texts/ teksts/ -> coda: K- F

 s- PF1 t: PF2 s: PF3


STRONG AND WEAK SYLLABLES
 In one multi-syllable word, some of its
syllables are Strong, some are weak.
 How are these weak syllables
pronounced and where do they occur
in English?
 STRESS is a very important factor to

decide whether a syllable is WEAK or


STRONG: strong syllables are stressed
and weak syllables are unstressed.
Unstressed syllables
 The vowel ‘ə’ (schwa)
e.g. better, open
 /i/: happy
 /u/: thank you
The /ə/ vowel
-With letter ‘a’:
 Strong syllable /ӕ/: character
 Weak syllable /ə/: attend
- With letter ‘ar’
 Strong syllable /a:/ : particular
 Weak syllable /ə/: monarchy
- With letter ‘o’
- Strong syllable /o/ or /əu/: tomorrow
- Weak syllable /ə/ e.g. tomorrow

- With letter ‘or’


 Strong syllable /ο:/ e.g. for :
 Weak syllable /ə/: forget
……
Syllabic Consonants
 Schwa followed by a sonorant (/n, l/ and less
frequently /m, ŋ, r/) → /ә/ often drops out →
the sonorant becomes syllabic
[l] [n] [r]

Word-final pedal, quarrel button, dozen (not possible)

Preconson.: bottled, penalty hadn’t, certainly (rare:) literal [ -r l]

Prevocalic crystallize, traveller listening, definition cigarette, cemetery


Syllabic Consonants
 Syllabic /l/: always dark
 Examples with syllabic [m]: prism,

handsome
 Examples with syllabic [ŋ]: bacon, we

can go
 Syllabic: acts as the “vowel” of the

syllable
 Only occur in unstressed syllables

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