Strong and weak syllables

Question 1

What are strong and weak syllables?

Answer 1

The vowel in weak syllables is shorter and of lower intensity. E.g. the word data (deita) has a weaker second syllable, it’s less loud.
Any strong syllable will have a vowel as its peak. Weak syllables can have a small possible number of peaks. At the end of a word, it can have a weak syllable ending with a vowel (i.e. no coda):
- the vowel “schwa”
-i:
-u

Question 2

The “schwa” vowel

Answer 2

It is mid, central, lax (not articulated with much energy). Not all weak syllables contain this vowel, but many do. Spelling is one indicator of where the vowel can appear.

Question 3

Syllabic L

Answer 3

Syllabic L occurs after another consonant, and the way it is produced depends to some extent on the nature of that consonant. If the preceding consonant is alveolar (bottle, tunnel) the articulation is that of a latelar release. There are also non alveolar consonants that precede it (couple, struggle)

Question 4

Syllabic N

Answer 4

Most frequent of the syllabic nasals. Syllabic n is most common after alveolar plosives and fricatices; in the case of t, d, s,z followed by N the plosive is nasally released by lowering the soft palate. (eaten).
N is usually not found after l, ch, dz.
After f, v, syllabic N is more common than AN.

Question 5

Syllabic m, n (ng)

Answer 5

Both can occur as syllabic, but only as a result of processes such as assimilation and elision. We find them in words like happen (pronounced hapm) and uppermost (apmoust).

Question 6

Syllabic r

Answer 6

In many accents of the type called rhotic, syllabic r is very common. Syllabic R is less common in BBC pronunciation, it is usually found in weak syllables (preference).