The Structure of a Syllable

The Structure of a Syllable From the point of view of structure, words can be divided into syllables. A syllable can occur as a monosyllabic word i.e. a word consisting of one syllable only. Examples of such syllables which are also monosyllabic words are a, an, of, for book, just, dog etc. It is a part of a word when the word is polysyllabic (consists of more syllables than one). A syllable may consist of 1 to 8 phonemes. One of them is always a vowel. The remaining phonemes, if they are there, are consonants. The syllable is an obligatory element of a syllable. There can be no syllable without a vowel. Consonants are optional elements. They may or may not be there in a syllable. So the number of consonants in a syllable can be anything from zero to eight. They are the marginal elements in a syllable. They occur on the sides of the vowel. There is one and only one vowel in a syllable. It forms the nucleus (the central element) of a syllable. The consonants, when they are there, come either before or after or on both sides of the vowel. The maximum number of consonants permissible before the vowel is 3 and the maximum number of consonants after the vowel is 4. There are three consonants which can function like vowels in a syllable. It means that they can sometimes function as the nucleus of a syllable. 1. /l/ as in little /litl/   2. /m/ as in Rhythm /riðm/    3. /n/ as in button /bʌtn/ and captain /kæptn/ A syllable can be divided into three parts. The vowel is the nucleus i.e. the central part. The consonants before the vowel are known as the onset.  Those that come after the vowel are known as the coda.                                                                                                          Milk                                                 ↙     ↓     ↘                                            onset   nucleus    coda                                            ↓           ↓          ↓                                                m           I          lk Assigning an intervocalic consonant or sequence of intervocalic consonants to syllables  A consonant or a sequence of consonants occurring between two vowels is called intervocalic. Assigning a single intervocalic consonant to a syllable  If it is only one consonant, our problem is whether it should be attached to the preceding vowel and become the coda of the preceding syllable or it should be attached to the succeeding vowel and form the onset of the succeeding syllable. The general principle is that it should go with the succeeding vowel and form the onset of the succeeding syllable. For example, we shall divide the word APART into two syllables as follows. /ə-pɑːt/ /ə/ constitutes the first syllable and /p ɑːt/ constitutes the second syllable.    Assigning intervocalic consonant sequences to syllables When we have a sequence of intervocalic consonants  (a sequence of consonants occurring between two vowels), the rule is that the clusters which can be word initial in a syllable are also eligible to become the onset of a subsequent syllable by getting attached to the vowel that follows them i.e. (the vowel on the right side). But if there is a consonant that cannot become a part of the initial cluster, it has to be attached to the vowel on the left and becomes the coda of the preceding syllable. Take the word EXTRA /ekstrə /. There is a sequence of four consonants between the vowels /e/  and /ə/. The question is with which vowel should they be attached to form a syllable. All the four cannot be attached to the second one because we cannot have an initial cluster of more than three consonants. So /k/ has to go with /e/. What about the other three? Now we  have to see whether /str/ are allowed to form an initial cluster. We know that such a cluster is permissible in the initial position in a syllable. So they will go with the second vowel and become the onset the second syllable. The syllable division of the word would be /ek-strə/. Similarly, in the word INSTRUMENT, /n/ will becme the coda of the first syllable and /str/ will become the onset of the second syllable. In the word INGRATEFUL, /n/ will have to be attached to the vowel on the left and become the coda of the first syllable because we cannot have an initial cluster /ngr/. /gr/ will, however be attached to the vowel on the right and become the onset of the second syllable because the initial cluster /gr/ is permissible.     The initial and final consonant clusters permissible in English are given below.  Innitial and Final Consonant Clusters Two or more consonants occurring together without a vowel between them and falling in the same syllable before or after the vowel are called a consonant cluster. There are rules also governing the occurrence of consonants in initial and final consonant clusters. They lay down which consonants can occur together as a cluster before or after the vowel. Permissible initial two consonant clusters /pl/ - play,         /pr/ - Pray,         /pj/ - Pure         /tr/ - Treat,        /tj/ - Tune        /tw/ - Twist          /kl/, Clear       /kr/ - Create,     /kj/ - Cure,          /kw/ - Queen /bl/ - Blast,       /br/ - breast,     /bj/ - Beauty                         /dr/ - Drastic,   /dj/ - Duty,       /dw/ - Dwell              /gl/ - Glide,      /gr/ - Greed,    /gj/ - Gules     /gw - Gwen /fl - Flower,     /fr/ - Friend       /fj/ - Few,                /θr/ - Throw,    / θj /- Thucydides     θw/- Thwart /sl/- Slow, Slice     /sj/ - Sewerage ,    /sw/- Sweep,     /sp/ - Speak, /st/ - Steal,            /sk/ - School,         /sm/ - Smell,     /sn/ - Snore / ʃr/ - Shrink,    /hj/ - Hue, Huge     /vj/ - View, /mj/- Music, Mule      /nj/ - New, Nude    /lj/ - Lure Permissible initial three consonant clusters   /spl/ - Split,     spr/- Spread,    /spj/- Spurious,        /str/- Street,   /stj/- Student,       /skl/- Sclerosis, /skr/- Script,   /skw/- Squander, Square  Permissible final two consonant clusters /pt/,- Stopped, Script    /pθ/- Depth,    /ps/-Taps, /tθ/- Eighth,       /ts/- Cuts,        /kt/Strict,  /ks/- Sparks,       /bd/- Robbed,   /bz/, Cubs, Robs  /dz/- Roads,     /gd/- Bagged,  /gz/- Bags, Rogues  /tʃt/- Watched,     /dʒd/- Judged,    /ft/- Left, Craft  /fθ/- Fifth,     /fs/- Laughs, Sniffs    /θt/- Breathed pronounced /breθt/ (A phonetic                    term),  /θs/- Myths,     /sp/- Clasp,    /st/- Test, Last  /sk/- Brisk, Risk,   /ʃt/- Wished,    /vd/- Saved,  /vz/- Leaves,    /ðd/- Breathed,     /θz/- Breathes,  /zd/- Advised,   /ʒd/- Rouged,   /mp/- Jump, /md/- Harmed,    /mf/- Nymph,    /mθ/- Warmth,  /mz/- Swarms,    /nt/- Burnt,    /ntʃ/- Branch,  /ndʒ/- Revenge,   /nθ/- Month,     /ns/- Suspense,  /nz/- Nuns,      /lp/- Help,     /lt/- Melt,    /lk/- Silk      /lb/- Bulb,    /ld/- Build,   /ltʃ/- Belch,  /ldʒ/- Bulge,   /lm/- Realm,    /ln/- Kiln,  /lf/- Pelf, Self     /lv/- Solve,     /lθ/- wealth,  /ls/- False,     /lz/- Walls

Permissible final three consonant clusters /pts/ - Adopts,      /pθs/- Depths,    /tθs/- Eighths,  /kts/- Acts,      /mps/- Lamps,     /mfs/- Triumphs,  /nts/- Points,    /nθs/- Tenths,   /ŋks/- Links,  /lps/- Helps,     /lts/- Nelts,      /lks/- Silks,  /lfs/- Gulfs,      /lθs/- Healths,   /fts/- Drafts, /fθs/- Fifths,    /sps/- Wasps,    /sts/- Tests,  /sks/- Tasks /ndz/- Sands,   /lbz/- Bulbs,    /ldz/- Scolds,  /lmz/- Realms,    /lnz/- Kilns,     /lvz/- Shelves,

/pst/- Lapsed,     /kst/- Next,    /dst/- Midst,  /mpt/- Attempt,   /nst/- Against,  /ntʃt/-Launched,  /ŋkt/- Instinct,    /lpt/- Helped,    /lkt/- Sulked,  /ltʃt/- Belched,     /lst/- Repulsed,   /spt/- Clasped,  /skt/- Asked

/ndʒd/- Deranged,    /nzd/- Cleansed,   /ldʒd/- Bulged,      /lmd/- Overwhelmed,  /lvd/- Solved /ksθ/- Sixth,     /ŋkθ/- Length,     /lfθ/- Twelfth Permissible final four consonant clusters /mpts/- Attempts,       /mpst/- Glimpsed,      /lkts/- Mulkts,  /lpts/- Sculpts,      /lfθs/- Twelfths,    /ksts/- Texts,  /ksθs/- Sixths,