2. Plan
O 1. The Phenomenon of the Syllable.
O 2. Syllable Formation.
O 3. Syllable Division.
O 4. Functional Aspect of the Syllable.
O 5. Graphic Characteristics of the Syllable.
3. M.A. Sokolova:
O Points out that speech can be broken into minimal
pronounceable units into which sounds show a
tendency to group themselves. These smallest
phonetic groups are called syllables. As syllables
are the smallest pronounceable units, they can form
language units of greater magnitude, i.e.
morphemes, words, phrases and sentences. Each of
these units is characterized by a certain syllabic
structure.
4. J. Kenion:
O The syllable is one or more speech sounds
forming a single uninterrupted unit of
utterance, which may be a whole word, or a
commonly recognized and separable
subdivision of a word. The syllable can be a
single word (chair [ʧeə]), a part of a word
(English ['ɪŋɡlɪʃ]), a part of the grammatical
form of a word (later ['leɪ-tə]).
5. The syllable is a complicated
phenomenon
• Acoustically the syllable
is characterized by the
force of utterance, pitch
of the voice and length.
ACOUSTIC
• The articulatory energy
which constitutes the
syllable results from the
combined action of the
power, vibrator, resonator
and obstructor mechanisms.
ARTICULATORY
• On the auditory level the
syllable is the smallest
unit of perception.
AUDITORY
• Phonologically the
syllable is regarded and
defined in terms of its
structural and functional
properties.
FUNCTIONAL
6. Vowel theory
O There are as many syllables, as there are
vowels
O What about consonants?!
7. Expiratory (chest pulse or
pressure) theory
O by R.H. Stetson.
O Each syllable should correspond to a
single expiration. The expiratory
theory states that there are as many
syllables in a word as there are
expiration pulses.
O BUT: a number of syllables can be
pronounced with a single expiration
(Torsuyev).
8. Sonority theory
O O. Jespersen
O each sound is characterized by a certain degree of sonority.
The sonority theory states that there are as many syllables
in a word as there are peaks of prominence or sonority.
O BUT: it fails to explain the actual mechanism of syllable
formation and syllable division. Besides, the concept of
sonority is not very clearly defined.
9. The theory of muscular tension
O L.V Shcherba.
O In speaking muscular tension impulses follow one another
making up syllables.
O The end and the beginning of the syllable is stated by the type
of consonants:
it
new
midday
• Follow short vowels
• Occur at the end of a close syllable
Initially strong
• Followed by long vowels
• Occur at the beginning
Finally strong
• Are strong at both ends and weak in the middle
• Occur at the juncture of words and morphemes
Double
10. Loudness theory
O Russian linguist and psychologist N.I. Zhinkin:
O The loudness theory states that the centre of a syllable is the
syllable forming phoneme. There are as many syllables as
there are “arcs of loudness” and the point of syllable
division corresponds to the moment when the arc of
loudness begins or ends.
11. According to their accentual
weight
Stressed
• Secondary
• primary
Unstressed
13. Types of syllables
• V
• Ore, or
Fully open
• CVC CVCC CCVC
• Bit left place
Fully closed
• CV CCV CCCV
• Too spy straw
Initially
covered
• VC VCC VCCC
• on act acts
Finally
covered
14. Syllable division
1)An intervocalic consonant tends to belong to the
following syllabic sound when it is preceded by a long
vowel or a diphthong, as they are always free
(unchecked) at the end and there is no need to close the
syllable (music ['mjuː-zɪk]).
2) When two vowels are separated from each other by
two consonants the point of syllable division is often
conditioned by whether this cluster occurs at the
beginning of English words or not. If it does, the point
of syllable division is before the cluster; if it does not,
the syllabic boundary is between the consonants (agree
- [ə'-ɡriː], admit [əd'-mɪt]).
15. 3) English diphthongs are unisyllabic, they consist of
one vowel phoneme, English triphthongs are
disyllabic, because they consist of two vowel
phonemes (science ['saɪ - əns]).
16. FUNCTIONAL ASPECT OF
THE SYLLABLE
Constitutive
function.
Distinctive
function.
Identificatory
(recognitive)
function.
17. GRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE SYLLABLE
O Words can be divided in writing according to their syllabic
structure (un-kind-li-ness) or they can also be divided according
to their meaning (spot-light).
O The following rules can help with dividing a word in writing:
O − never divide a word within a syllable;
O − never divide a suffix of two syllables such as -able, -ably, -fully;
O − with the exception of -ly, never divide a word so that an ending
of two letters such as -ed, -er, -ic begins the next line;
O − never divide a word so that one of the parts is a single letter;
O − never divide a word of one syllable;
O − never divide a word of less than five letters.
18. Seminar questions
O 1. What is the syllable?
O 2. What theories of syllable formation do you know?
O 3. What do you know about syllable formation?
O 4. What sonorous sounds are syllabic?
O 5. When does a sonorant lose its syllabic character?
O 6. What types of the syllable are there in English?
O 7. What types of syllables are the most widely spread
in English and in Russian?
19. Practical tasks
Divide these words into phonetic syllables. Give
their syllabic structural patterns:
O bugle, satchel, trifle, rhythm, April, equal,
happens, marbles, patterns, dragons, urgent,
servant, listened, errands, parents, patients.
Divide these words into phonetic syllables:
O comfortable, cottage, orchard, ground,
kitchen, pantry, study, several, upstairs,
bedroom, nursery, bathroom, furniture,
modern, own, electricity, January, February,
Tuesday, Thursday.
