Syllabification Syllable formation Syllable Division CONTENTS

Syllabification Syllable formation & Syllable Division

CONTENTS • Syllable as an elementary unit of a spoken chain • Syllable formation. Types of syllables. Sonority Theory • Syllable division. Three types of consonants • Distinctive functions of Syllabification

Syllable is a sequence of sounds • Syllable is the smallest pronounceable unit, which forms language units of greater magnitude (morphemes, words and utterances ) (Sokolova) •

Syllable can be defined as a complex unit made up of the nuclear and marginal elements, with vowels acting as nuclear syllabic elements and consonants as marginal, or non-syllabic ones. (Shevchenko)

Syllable is the minimal grouping of vowels and consonants necessary for articulation ( as phonetic units ), - storing strings of phonemes in the mental representation ( as phonological units )

Syllable: The syllable can be studied on 4 levels: • • • acoustic auditory articulatory functional

Syllable is and • acoustically characterized auditory Intensity - force of utterance, frequency duration - pitch of voice length

• Articulatory characteristics of Syllable are defined by work of the organs of speech and connected with sound juncture based on theories of syllable formation & syllable division.

Types of Syllables open unсovered open сovered сlose unсovered close covered V + r [a: ] [k a: ] [a: t] [k a: t] V + re _ _ [/ p] [k / t]

Syllable formation • In English the close type of syllable as the fundamental one • In Russian the open type forms is basic for syllable formation.

Syllable The syllable also can be light heavy • with a short vowel & no consonant to follow Unstressed city pity • With historically long vowel or diphthong & short vowel with consonant to follow Stressed nicely, city, pity

Syllable formation is based on phonological opposition vowel – consonant • • • Vowels are usually syllabic Consonants are the exceptions are [l], non-syllabic [m], [n] can be syllabic if they are presided by noise consonants

Syllable formation Syllabic theories • chest-pulse, puff -breath or expiratory (pressure) theory by Stetson • arc of muscular tension by Scherba, arc of loudness by Zhinkin • sonority theory by Otto Jespersen

The notions "arc of loudness" or "arc of articulatory tension" help somehow to answer the question & solve the problem Naturally in the pronunciation of an isolated sound an arc is weak both in the beginning and in the end and strong in the middle

Syllable formation sonority theory each sound has its own carrying power, characterized by a certain degree of sonority According to the • Vowels are of the greatest carrying power • Vowels as the most sonorous sounds form peaks of sonority Consonants are the least sonorous sounds

SCALE OF SONORITY low mid vowels high sonorants [l, m, n, ] most sonorous voiced constrictive consonants voiced plosive voiceless constrictive and affricates voiceless plosive - least sonorous

Syllable division No problem with the division of such words as music [mju: - zιk]; skating [skei – tιη] Vowels as the most sonorous sounds form peaks of sonority An intervocalic consonant tends to belong to the following syllabic sound (for long vowel or a diphthong) In case of a short stressed vowel in money, pity , better … Where does the syllable boundary go?

Syllable formation There as many syllables in a word as there are peaks of sonority according to the scale of sonority

According to Scherba’s theory of Syllable division Сonsonants can be viewed as: Initially strong : in - it - on finally strong : fi Finally strong mei – tu: initially strong • Geminate / double consonants: meni

Syllable division The sound /s/ is Geminate - strong at both ends & weak in the middle The syllabic boundary goes through the consonant sound

Functional or phonemic aspect of Syllable (Syllabification) is connected with the realization of constitutive distinctive recognative functions

FUNCTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SYLLABLES The constitutive function of syllable formation and syllable division is inseparably connected with its materiality. Thus a syllable is a material carrier of morphemes, words, phrases. • The distinctive function can be traced in the oppositions of words of the same phonetic context the meaning of which is differentiated by the type of the consonant.

Distinctive function Syllable division changes the allophonic contents of the word or word combination because of realization of different types of consonants in different positions in a framework • • [əneim] [ə -neim] [ ma. Isk. Il ] – [ma. I -sk. Il ]

Compare [ə -neim] [ən -eim] [ ma. I -sk. Il ] [ ma. Is - k. Il ] Differentiation goes along initially & finally strong consonants THANK YOU !

CLASS DISCUSSION Theoretical Phonetics SYLLАBICS or SYLLАBIFICАTION Please, be ready for DISCUSSION ISSUES: Syllаble is аn elementаry unit of spoken chаin Types of Syllаbles Syllаble Formаtion Sonority Theory; Scаle of Sonority Syllаble Division Tree Types of Consonаnts in Syllаbificаtion Initiаlly, finаlly, double (geminаte) strong Consonаnts Syllаble аs а Phonetic & Phonologicаl unit differences Functionаl Aspect

REFERENCES • Шевченко, T. Теоретическая фонетика английского языка. M. , 2006, pp. 64 -72 • Sokolova, M. English Phonetics. Theoretical Course. M. , 2004, pp. 6 -15, 94 -100 • Roach, P. English Phonetics & Phonology. CUP, pp. 70 -80 CHECK YOUR COMPREHENTION Whаt is а Syllаble ? How аre Syllаbles formed? Whаt’s the difference between Syllаble Formаtion & Syllаble Division in English & in Russiаn? Is Syllаble а Phonetic or Phonologicаl unit? Why is it importаnt to observe rules of Syllаbificаtion in Speech?