The syllabic structure of English words

Though the basic phonological elements are phonemes, human communication is actualized in syllables. The syllable is operational in all languages, it is a universal phenomenon.

Syllableis the minimal grouping of vowels and consonants necessary for articulation (phonetic unit) and for storing strings of phonemes in the mental representation (phonological unit). Syllable can be defined as a complex unit made up of nuclear and marginal elements, with vowels acting as nuclear, syllabic elements and consonants as marginalor non-syllabic ones.

There have been attempts to describe syllable as a minimal articulatory unit in terms of ‘chest-pulse’ theory by R.H.Stetson, sonority theory by Otto Jespersen, as an arc of muscular tension by L.V.Scherba or, perceptually, an arc of loudness by N.I.Zhinkin. Syllable is also a minimal prosodic unit inwhich prosodic features of pitch, length and loudness may be realized.

The syllable may consist of the onset, the nucleusand the coda. The nucleus and the coda constitute the rhyme. There is no syllable without the nucleus, the presence of the onset and the coda depends on the phonotactic rules of a particular language.

Syllables can be open, when ending in a vowel (V, CV), closed, ending in a consonant (VC, CVC), covered,with a consonant for an onset (CV, CVC), uncovered, with no onset (V,VC). Light, with a short vowel like [ ə ] or [ i ]

or [ u] and no consonant to follow, and heavy, with a long vowel or a diphthong, or a short vowel with a consonant to follow. Heavy syllables attract stress; they become stressed, while light syllables are unstressed.

The majority of linguists treat the syllable as the smallest pronounceable unit which can reveal some linguistic function. Now we shall consider two very important functions of the syllable.

The first function we should mention is known to be the constitutive function of the syllable. It lies in its ability to be a part of a word or a word itself. The syllable forms language units of greater magnitude, that is, words, morphemes and utterances. In this respect two things should be emphasized. First, the syllable is the unit within the relations between the distinctive features of the phonemes and their acoustic correlates are revealed. Second, within a syllable (or a sequence of syllables) prosodic characteristics of speech are realized, which form stress-pattern of a word and the rhythmic and intonation structures of an utterance. In sum, the syllable is a specific minimal structure of both segmental and suprasegmental features.

The other function of the syllable is its distinctive function. In this respect the syllable is characterized by its ability to differentiate words and word-forms. To illustrate this, a set of minimal pairs should be found so that qualitative and quantitative peculiarities of certain allophones should indicate the beginning or the end of the syllable: a name - an aim, ice-cream - I scream.

Summarizing we might say that at the functional level of description the syllable could be conceived as a smallest pronounceable unit with potential linguistic importance. That is why it reveals its functional value occasionally.

By way of conclusion we could enumerate the following peculiarities of the syllabic structure of English which should arrest the learner’s attention:

1) syllabic boundary normally runs after a long vowel: la-dy, sai-lor, la-ter, spea-ker;

2) in case of a short stressed vowel the following consonant joins it to form a closed syllable, and the boundary goes within or after the consonant: pit-y, bett-er, mon-ey, rack-et;

3) the sonorants [ l ], [ m ], [ n ] are syllabic if they are preceded by noise consonants, for example: litt- le, bloss-om, sudd-en;

4) there cannot be more than one vowel (a diphthong or a monophthong) within one syllable;

5) CV(C) structure with a single onset consonant followed by a vowel is basic for human language;

6) word final consonants are normally of weak-end type.

Definition of a syllable . Main types of syllables

A syllable is "a letter, or combination of letters, uttered together, or at a single effort or impulse of the voice," according to Webster's 1828 dictionary. Sometimes teachers refer to syllables as word chunks. Every syllable must contain a vowel.

How to Teach What a Syllable Is

It is important for students to recognize syllables in words. When they are able to say one syllable at a time, spelling becomes much easier. Fortunately, recognizing syllables is an easy concept to teach.

Here is sample dialogue for demonstrating to your student what a syllable is:

· “All words have syllables. A word might have one, two, or even more syllables.”

· “Reading has two syllables: read(clap)—ing (clap).” To demonstrate, clap as you say each syllable.

· “Blue has one syllable: blue (clap).”

· “Pumpkin has two syllables: pump(clap)—kin (clap).”

· “Now you try. Clap your hands for each syllable in the word pig.”

Have your student practice with these words:

Another good method for teaching how to count syllables is to put your hand under your chin. Say the word and count the number of times your jaw drops.

Types of Syllables

There are six types of syllables:

1. A closed syllable ends in a consonant. The vowel has a short vowel sound, as in the word bat.

2. An open syllable ends in a vowel. The vowel has a long vowel sound, as in the first syllable of apron.

3. A vowel-consonant-e syllable is typically found at the end of a word. The final e is silent and makes the next vowel before it long, as in the word name.

4. A vowel team syllable has two vowels next to each other that together say a new sound, as in the word south.

5. A consonant+l-e syllable is found in words like handle, puzzle, and middle.

6. An r-controlled syllable contains a vowel followed by the letter r. The r controls the vowel and changes the way it is pronounced, as in the word car.

How Our Program Teaches Syllable Types

· All About Spelling has determined the best sequence for teaching the syllable types for maximum learning and retention.

· Students gain confidence and master one syllable type at a time.

· Your job as teacher is made much easier with the complete lightly-scripted lesson plans.

· Letter tiles are used to demonstrate syllable types. The specially color-coded letter tiles make it easy for you to show students the concepts in a way they will remember.

· The All About Spelling program puts your students on the fast-track to mastering the six syllable types.