THE SYLLABLE

The syllable is a structural unit, which consists of a vowel alone or of a vowel (or a syllabic sonorant) surrounded by consonants in the numbers and arrangements permitted by a given language.

The syllable can be considered as both a phonetic and a phonological unit. As a phonetic unit the syllable is defined in articulatory, auditory and acoustic terms with universal application for all languages. As a phonological unit the syllable can be defined and described only with reference to the structure of one particular language.

Articulatory approach to the syllable: the expiratory (chest pulse) theory defines the syllable as a sound or a group of sounds that are pronounced in one chest pulse, accompanied by increases in air pressure; the muscular tension theory considers the syllable to be an arc of muscular tension (the energy of articulation increases at the beginning of a syllable, reaches its maximum with the vowel (or the sonorant) and decreases towards the end of the syllable).

Auditory approach to the syllable: the relative sonority theory considers that sounds tend to group themselves according to their sonority.

Sonority sequencing principle: the peak of the syllable is occupied by a vowel (or syllabic sonorant), with consonants of gradually diminishing sonority arranged around it.

Sonority hierarchy: vowels > glides > liquids > nasals > fricatives > affricates > plosives [fi:ld], [trai], [kwəʊt]

Phonological approach to the syllable considers possible combinations of English phonemes - phonotactics.

Syllable structure: onset+peak+coda

Types of syllables:

• open syllables (without a coda): CV (/si:/, /stju:/, /teə/)

• closed syllables (with a coda): VC (/æt/, /faɪv/, /su:ð/)

• covered syllables (with an onset): CV(C) (/seɪ/, /fa:/)

• uncovered syllables (without an onset): V(C) (/i:v/,/з:/)

Syllabic sonorants /l/, /n/, /m/, /r/, /ŋ/.

Syllabic /l/ occurs after another consonant at the end of a word (or in the middle of a derivative word), spelt `al', `el', `le' or `les' (in the case of noun plurals or 3-rd person singular verb forms): petal, parcel, struggle, struggling, troubles.

Syllabic /n/ occurs after another consonant (especially after alveolar plosives and fricatives) at the end of a word (or in the middle of a derivative word): threaten, threatening, heaven.

Functions of the syllable:

• constitutive function (the syllable forms higher-level units: words, rhythmic groups, utterances);

• distinctive function (syllables differentiate words and word combinations);

• identificatory function (the hearer perceives syllables as entire phonetic units with their concrete allophones and syllabic boundaries).

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