Syllables and Phonotactic constraints

WEEK 2

Is it possible that speakers have simply memorized the syllable breaks for all the words of a language?

No! Speakers have clear intuitions about syllable breaks in words that they have never seen before and even nonce words (string of sounds that could be words in a language but happen not to be).

Onset

The onset is the consonant(s) at the front of the syllable.

Nucleus

The nucleus is the sound (typically, a vowel) in the middle of the syllable

Coda

The coda is the consonant(s) at the end of the syllable.

Phonotactics (or Phonotactic constraints)

The rules that determine possible onsets and codas

Nucleus Rule

All vowels become nuclei

Onset Rule

For each nucleus, find the largest continuous sequence immediately preceding the nucleus and allowed by the language’s phonotactics to be an onset; make it an onset.

Coda Rule

For each nucleus, find the largest continuous sequence

(i) immediately following the nucleus

(ii) not part of an onset

(iii) allowed by the language’s phonotactics to be a coda; make it a coda

Rhyme Rule

For each nucleus, make a rhyme out of the nucleus and, if there is one, the immediately following coda

Syllable Rule

For each rhyme, make a syllable out of the rhyme and, if there is one, immediately preceding onset.