Lec 7

• Syllable


  A unit of pronunciation consisting of a basic vowel sound and optional consonants before or after the vowel
• Syllable Structure


  • Must have a center called peak or nucleus, which is a vowel
  • Could have an onset which is the initial part of the syllable that consists of one or more consonants
  • Could have a coda which is the final part of the syllable that consists of either one or more consonants
  • The nucleus and the coda form the rhyme/ rime

  
• Phonetic Syllable


  A syllable consists of a center that has little or no obstruction of airflow and sounds loud
• Phonological Syllable


  A syllable is a unit that involves possible combinations of English phonemes

  
• Possibilities of sound patterns

  • Permitted patterns
  • Impossible patterns
  • Possible/non-existent
• Phonotactics


  The set of constraints on the permissible combination of sounds in a language

  
• Syllable beginning


  • Vowel (zero onset)
  • One consonant
  • Two or three consonants (consonant cluster)
• Syllable ending


  • Vowel (zero coda)
  • One consonant
  • Two, three, or four consonants (consonant cluster)
• Types of final two-consonant clusters


  • Pre-final /m, n, ŋ, l, s/ + final
  • Final + post-final /s, z, t, d/
• Types of final four-consonant clusters

  • Pre-final + final + post-final 1 + post-final 2
  • Final + post-final 1 + post-final 2 + post-final 3
• Strong/Weak Syllables


  • Phonetic characteristics: The vowel in a weak syllable is short
  • Stress: Strong syllables are stressed, and weak syllables are unstressed
• Peak of the strong syllable


  • Any vowel except /ə, i, u/
  • One of the short vowels /ɪ, e, ӕ, ʌ, ɒ, ʊ / + a coda
  • A long vowel, diphthong, or triphthong with or without coda
• Peak of the weak syllable


  • /ə, i, u /+ NO coda
  • /ə/ + coda
  • /ɪ/ + No coda (and the following syllables begins with a consonant)
• Syllabic consonant


  A nasal or lateral consonant that either forms a syllable on its own or is the nucleus of a syllable
• Types of syllabic consonants


  • /lˌ/ (words ending with consonant clusters followed by a group of letters like "le", "al", or "el")
  • /nˌ/ (words ending with an obstruent or fricative consonant followed by "en" or "on")