Week 1 Flashcards
Define syllable
Most people agree that feeling the rhythm of a word defines a syllable, or dividing it into beats.
However, in an academic sense we can define the syllable as a unit containing an obligatory centre part which is a sonorant.
What does a syllable have to contain, and what is optional?
All syllables contain a single vowel, but the syllables may or may not contain consonants on either side of that vowel.
Nucleus
A syllable consists of only a vowel (orange, aquamarine). A diphthong counts as a single vowel.
Onset
The part of a syllable that contains consonants before the nucleus.
E.g. d in duck.
Coda
The part of a syllable that contains consonants after the nucleus.
E.g. /n/ in phone.
Empty onset
Syllable starts with a vowel.
E.g. /eve/ has no onset (empty onset), a nucleus /i/ and one consonant in the coda /v/.
How can the stressed syllable be indicated in transcription?
By using a ‘ before the onset of that syllable.
Closed syllable
Syllable with coda.
Open syllable
Ending in a diphthong or any of the long monoghthongs.
Minimal words (smallest words)
The smallest words consist of one syllable: mad, lie.
Syllable structure Japanese
(1). Japanese has a limited set of consonants, so English ones are estimated to the closest English equivalent.
(2). English vowels may be adapted to fit Japanese vowel sounds.
What suggests that syllables have internal structure?
Speakers cannot only manipulate syllables, but also units within the syllable itself (rhyme, alliteration, assonance).
Rhyme
The nucleus and coda combined
Minimal words rules
- A minimal word has at least two timing positions dominated by the rhyme.
- The monophthongs /i 3 a c u/ count as long; they have two timing positions.
- The monophthongs /I E æ ^ hoef schwa/ count as short, so one timing position.
Heavy syllables
A syllable is considered heavy if it contains a long vowel, a final consonant, or a diphthong (two timing positions in the rhyme).
/i 3 a c u/.
Light syllables
A light syllable is one that ends in a single short vowel, so one timing position in the rhyme.
/I E æ ^ hoef schwa/.
Cross-linguistic evidence shows that CV syllables have a special status:
- All languages have CV syllables and some have only these.
- Language-acquiring children initially produce only CV syllables. This suggests that onsets are more basic than codas;
/klar/ ‘klaar’ [ka]
/oto/ ‘auto’ [toto]
Maximal Onset Principle
Base-final consonants undergo resyllabification when a vowel-initial suffix is added.
• Syllables prefer to have onsets.
• Consonants prefer to be in onsets.
For example, “walking” /wakɪŋ/ in English is syllabified as wa.kɪŋ, even though wak is a valid syllable, because the k prefers to be in an onset.
Sonority peaks
From high to low:
1. Vowels
2. Approximants
3. Nasals
4. Fricatives
5. Stops
Distribution
What phonetic environments each allophone appears in.
Syllabic consonants
The nucleus of syllables are usually vowels. However, it is possible in some instances for the nucleus slot to be filled by a syllabic consonant. Typically, only nasals and the /l/ occur as syllabic consonants.
Some consonants, like /n/ and /l/, can form a nucleus instead of a vowel.
• /and/
Ambisyllabic
Consonants that belong to both syllables at the same time.
Lexical stress vs. rhythmic stress
Lexical stress is the stress pattern of words when pronounced in isolation. Rhythmic stress is the stress pattern of syllables in sentences.
Assonance and alliteration
Assonance occurs when there is repeated use of the same vowel in words in a sentence; Westering, questioning settles the sun (nucleus).
Alliteration occurs when words in a sentence start with the same consonant (onset).
Which type of syllable is too small?
An open syllable containing any of /ɪ ɛ æ ʌ ʊ ə/ and orange.
Hard attack
An empty onset position can be optionally filled by a glottal stop (most common in Dutch and German).
Ome Arie eet altijd aardappelen.
What are speakers actually counting when counting syllables?
It has been suggested that they’re counting sonority peaks. The idea is that sounds differ in their sonority (loudness), with the loudest sounds being the most vowel-like.
