Syllables

syllables

native speakers can usually count the _____ in a word without any difficulty

also, we have fairly clear intuitions about where to put the syllable boundary

internal structure of the syllable and phonotactic rules or constraints

what constitutes implicit knowledge of identifying syllables and syllable boundaries?

structure of the syllable

onset, nucleus, coda

sigma

what do we represent the syllable with?

onset

many syllables start with a consonant sequence

kaet

rhyme

the rest of the syllable is called this, contains a nucleus and an optional coda

kaet

nucleus

the center of a syllable

within the rhyme, you must have this

coda

what’s left over, is optional

kaet

we don’t have to have in english

is always a consonant

rhyme

every syllable must have a what?

monosyllabic

consists of a single syllable

bisyllabic or disyllabic

consists of two syllables

complex onset

has multiple consonants in the onset

complex coda

have multiple consonants in the coda

open syllable

doesn’t have a coda

closed syllable

has a coda

syllabification method

scanning from left to right, identify the vowels in the word, and project a nucleus node from them

project a rhyme node from the nucleus node

project a syllable node from the rhyme node

if there is a consonant to the left of the vowel, project an onset node from it and connect it to the syllable node

if there is a consonant to the right of the vowel, project a coda node from it and connect it to the rhyme node

unlinked segments are then linked to existing onset and coda nodes, respecting the sonority sequencing principle

onset

is it more natural to put a sound as an onset or a coda?

phonotactics

languages have rules on what kinds of sounds may or may not combine

this is strongly shaped by the syllable

different restrictions for beginnings and ends of syllables, and combinations across syllable boundaries

sonority hierarchy

the more open the air passages, the more sonorous (the louder it is)

stops are considered the least sonorous because they have the most amount of closure

sonority sequencing principle

a syllable must have a single center of highest sonority (the nucleus, usually a vowel), and that the sounds surrounding it must progress from lower to higher sonority toward the nucleus, and from higher to lower sonority away from the nucleus

in a syllable, sonority increases from the margin (edge) the the nucleus

no

is english a language that conforms to the sonority sequencing principle?

because [s] in complex onsets and codas DOES NOT obey SSP

yes

is spanish a language that conforms to the sonority sequencing principle?

because many spanish speakers learning english add [e] at beginning of /s/ consonant clusters in english

maximal onset principle

during syllabification, try to maximize the onset as long as you don’t violate the phonotactics of the language

try to put more in onsets compared to codas

any consonant that comes before the nucleus can be an onset as long as it doesn’t cause a problem in the SSP

rules of syllabification are persistent

underlying phonological representations are syllabified by the syllabification rule, and when the phonological rules apply, the syllabification rule reapplies if possible

vowels

depending on how many ___ there are in a word, that’s how many syllables are present

]

means at the end of in a rule

onset-coda distinction

1. onsets are often obligatory

2. onsets are articulated more forcefully (fortition) and the locus of rich phonemic contrast (more types of consonants can appear at onsets rather than codas)

3. codas are often optional and even forbidden

   1. codas are articulated less forcefully (weakening) and they are the focus of phonological neutralization (including deletion)

codas

there are no languages that forbid ____

coda

there are no languages that require every syllable to have a ____

CV

the only syllable present in every language is the “universal syllable” what?