Phonology 2: Syllable Structure

Question 1

Suprasegmental phonology

Answer 1

• phonology of units bigger than a single sound
• looks at how sounds combine

Question 2

phonotactics

Answer 2

the rules and constraints that govern the possible sound combinations in a particular language

Question 3

syllable structure in English

Answer 3

• allow up to three consonants at the beginning of the syllable (scratch) and up to four consonants at the end (sixths)
• the three-consonant sequence in English has to start with the phoneme /s/, followed by a voiceless stop, and finally followed by an approximant or a glide

Question 4

nucleus

Answer 4

• most important element of the syllable
• typically a simple vowel or a diphthong
• must be present in order to form a syllable
• number of nuclei corresponds to the number of syllables in a word

Question 5

onset

Answer 5

• consists of a least one consonant
• appear to the left of the nucleus (the beginning of the syllable
• optional

Question 6

codas

Answer 6

• consisting of one or more consonants to the right of the nucleus
• optional

Question 7

Steps in constructing syllabic structures (syllable trees)

Answer 7

1. Identifying the nucleus
2. Identifying the onset
3. Identifying the coda

Question 8

Maximize Onset Principle

Answer 8

states that we should make the onset as long as possible, so long as the cluster conforms to the phonotactic rules of the particular language

Question 9

syllabic liquids

Answer 9

occurs when a liquid consonant (like /l/ or /ɹ/) serves as the syllable nucleus, replacing the vowel

Question 10

syllabic nasals

Answer 10

occurs when a nasal consonant (like /m/, /n/, or /ŋ/) takes on the role of the syllable nucleus