english syllable structure Flashcards
structure of the syllable
obligatory is only the nucleus, typically a vowel
only nucleus
eye /ai/
nucleus and coda
aisle /ail/
onset and nucleus
buy /bai/
onset, nucleus and coda
bile /bail/
onset
all consonants occuring before the vowel
→ no onsets of plosive consonant followed by a nasal consonant are allowed in English *[kni:] → /N/ never occurs in onsets
→ The only possible three-element onset cluster begins with /s/ (splash, screech, straight, spray, sclerosis, spew)
branching onset
= contain more than one segment
coda
constraints:
→ /h/, /j/, /w/ never occur in codas (when letter w occurs in final position, it represents a vowel)
open syllable
= a syllable without a coda example: buy
closed syllable
= a syllable with one or more consonants in the coda example: bile
nucleus
= obligatory, usually a vowel
branching nucleus
= represent long vowels and diphthongs
long vowels
→ long vowels are connected to a single skeletal slot
diphtongs
→ diphthongs are connected to two skeletal slots
skeletal slots
= timing units, which are relevant to the explanation of possible and impossible syllables
sonority
= the inherent loudness of a sound
open vowels > closed vowels > voiced consonants > voiceless consonants
→ sequences of segments are syllabified in accordance with a sonority scale
peak of sonority
nucleus -> sonority rises when one moves towards the nucleus
→ only [s]-initial onsets violate the sonority hierarchy
nucleus and syllabic consonants
nucleus
a ‘syllabic’ consonant may take up the position of the vowel in the nucleus
● button → n = nucleus in the second syllable
● AmE father → r = nucleus in the second syllable
→ consonants with a high sonority (like nasals, approximants)
maximal onset
= syllabification of polysyllabic words
→ syllables tend to maximize their onset
→ consonants between two nuclei tend to belong to the onset rather than the coda → ap-praise and creep-er
