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Chapter 8

Chapter 8 discusses the nature and structure of syllables in English, including their phonetic and phonological aspects. It covers syllable constituents, onsets, codas, and the rules for syllable division, emphasizing the maximal onsets principle and challenges in dividing certain words. The chapter also introduces the concept of ambisyllabic consonants when a consonant is difficult to assign to one syllable or another.

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Hân Trương
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2 views

Chapter 8

Chapter 8 discusses the nature and structure of syllables in English, including their phonetic and phonological aspects. It covers syllable constituents, onsets, codas, and the rules for syllable division, emphasizing the maximal onsets principle and challenges in dividing certain words. The chapter also introduces the concept of ambisyllabic consonants when a consonant is difficult to assign to one syllable or another.

Uploaded by

Hân Trương
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHAPTER 8: SYLLABLES

8.1 The nature of the syllable

8.2 The structure of the English syllable

8.3 Syllable division


8.1 The nature of the syllable
Phonetically defined, syllables are usually
described as consisting of a center which has
little or no obstruction to airflow and which
sounds comparatively loud; before and after
this center (i.e. at the beginning and end of
the syllable), there will be greater obstruction
to airflow and / or less loud sound.
Syllable constituents
(Onset) – Centre –
(Coda)

usuall
one or y one or
more vowel more
Examp consonants s consonants
are /ɑː/
1. Minimum
le syllable:
2. Onset + centre: key /kiː/

3. Centre + ease /iːz/


coda: sat /sæt/
4. Onset + centre +
coda:
Phonologically, syllables involve possible combinations
of English phonemes. The study of the possible phoneme
combinations of a language is called phonotactics.
1. What can
Examples
occur at the beginning of the first word
when we begin to speak?
-A word can begin with a vowel, or with one, two or
three consonants. No word begins with more than
three consonants.
2. How does a word end when it is the last word spoken
before a pause?
- It can end with a vowel, or with one, two, three or (in a
small number of cases) four consonants. No current
word ends with more than four consonants.
8.2 The structure of the English
syllable
Syllable onsets

• The first syllable of a word can begin with a vowel


(any vowel may occur, though ʊ is rare). We say
that this initial syllable has a zero onset.
• If the syllable begins with one consonant, that
initial consonant may be any consonant phoneme
except ŋ; Ʒ is rare.
Syllable onsets
Syllables beginning with 2 consonants
-A group of two or more consonants together is
called a consonant cluster.
- Initial two-consonant clusters consist of two
sorts: 1. s + a
consonant
pre-
initial initial
consonant
Example: stay /steɪ/
smoke /sməʊk/
Syllable onsets

Syllables beginning with 2 consonants


- Initial two-consonant clusters consist of two
sorts:
2. a consonant + l
/r/j/w
initial post-initial
consonant
Example: play /pleɪ/ quick /kwɪk/
pray /preɪ/ few /fjuː/
Syllable onsets
Three-consonant clusters

pre-initial consonant + initial consonant + post-


initial consonant
Syllable coda
• If there is no final consonant, we say that there is a zero
coda.
• When there is one consonant only, this is called the final
consonant.
• Any consonant might be a final consonant, except h, w, j.
• Two sorts of two-consonant final cluster
+ Pre-final consonant (m, n, ŋ, l, s) + final consonant
Example: bump /bʌmp/; bent /bent/, bank /bæŋk/, belt /belt/, ask /ɑːsk/

+ Final consonant + post final consonant (s, z, t, d, θ)


Example: bets /bets/, beds /bedz/, backed /bækt/, bagged /bæɡd/, eight
NOTE
 The post-final consonants can often be identified as
separate morphemes (although not always – axe, for
example, is a single morpheme and its final s has no
separate meaning)
 Pronunciation: the release of the first plosive of a
plosive-plus-plosive cluster such as the g (of gd) in bæɡd
or the k (of kt) in bækt is usually without plosion and is
therefore practically inaudible.
Two types of final three consonant clusters
1. pre-final + final + post-final

2. final + post-final 1 + post-final


2
Final 4-consonant cluster
1. pre-final + final + post-final 1 +
post-final 2 (common type)

2. final + post-final 1 + post-final 2


+ post-final 3
The maximum phonological
structure of an English syllable
Present-day analysis of syllable

optional vowel optional


8.3 Syllable division

How to divide the word ‘morning’ into syllables?

ˈmɔːnɪŋ
Rules for syllable division

The maximal onsets principle


- Where two syllable are to be divided, any
consonants between them should be attached to
the right-hand syllable, not the left, as far as
possible.
- So ‘morning’ would thus be divided as /ˈmɔː.nɪŋ/.
How to divide the word ‘extra’ into syllables?
impossible
onset

Impossible
coda
 Therefore, the rule must state that consonants are
assigned to the right-hand syllable as far as possible
within the restrictions governing syllable onsets
and codas. The best division of extra is /ˈek.strə/.
Other problems of dividing syllables and solutions

 How to divide the word ‘better’? betə


- The maximal onsets principal tells us to put the t on the right-
hand syllable, giving be.tə, but that means the first syllable is
analyzed as be.
- However, no isolated syllables end with one of the short
vowels , , , , , , so this division is not possible.
- The maximal onset principal must therefore also be modified
to allow a consonant to be assigned to the left syllable if that
prevents one of the vowels , , , , ,  from occurring at the
end of a syllable. We can then analyze the word as bet.ə.
Other problems of dividing syllables and solutions

 How to divide the word ‘carry’? kæ.ri or kær.i


- If we divide the word as kæ.ri, we get a syllable –final
æ, but if we divide it as kær.i, we have a syllable-final
r, and both of these do not occur in BBC pronunciation.
- We have to decide on the lesser of two evils here, and
the preferable solution is to divide the word as kær.i on
the grounds that in many rhotic accents of English, this
division would be the natural one to make.
 One further possible solution: when one consonant
stands between vowels and it is difficult to assign the
consonant to one syllable or the other – as in “better”
and “carry” – we could say that the consonant belongs
to both syllables. This consonant is called ambisyllabic.

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