The syllable Paweł Rydzewski

The Syllable
1. What is the motivation for syllables?1
a) phonological process that operate on syllables (reduplication e.g Lardil kele – kele-kele ‘cut’)
b) stress
c) typological generalizations
d) singing
e) rhymes
f) slips of tongue (spoonerism)
g) word games
h) hypocoristics
Jennifer Jennie Margaret Margie
Abigail Abbie Amanda Mandie
Madeline Maddie Patricia Pattie, Tricia
Penelope Pennie Victoria Vickie
Rebecca Beckie Jacqueline Jackie
BUT: Zygmunt - Zyggie NOT *Zygmie
3.

1
Copyrights for all the data in this handout go to Professor Jerzy Rubach.

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The syllable Paweł Rydzewski

4. Syllable Structure Algorithm (SSA) on the basis of blend

a. N-Placement: Erect the Nucleus node over the vowel.

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b. CV Rule: Action (i) Erect the sigma node (i.e. the syllable node) over the Nucleus node.
Action (ii) If there is a consonant before the Nucleus, adjoin that consonant to the sigma node
to derive a CV syllable. In end, the Onset is empty so only Action (i).

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c. Complex Onset: Adjoin a consonant to the syllable node sigma to form a CCV structure.

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d. Coda Rule: Action (i) If there is a consonant after the Nucleus, erect the Rhyme node
between the Nucleus node and the sigma node. Action (ii) Adjoin that consonant to the Rhyme
node to derive a VC structure.

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e. Complex Coda Rule: Adjoin the second consonant after the Nucleus to the Rhyme node to
derive a VCC structure.

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The syllable Paweł Rydzewski

5. Individual parameters set in different languages

a. Whether a rule of SSA is active or inactive (N-placement and CV active in all languages,
universal)

b. The ordering of the Complex Onset Rule and the Coda Rule. If the Complex Onset Rule
is before the Coda Rule, then a language maximizes onsets: VCCV ––> V-CCV: o.braz
(Polish). If the Coda Rule is before the Complex Onset Rule, then a language does not maximize
onsets: VCCV ––> VC-CV: ob.raz (Bulgarian).

c. Iterativeness. The Complex Onset Rule and/or the Complex Coda Rule may be designated
as iterative or not. “Iterative” means that a rule keeps reapplying.

 Iterative Complex Onset: the onset may contain more than two consonants,
for instance, VCCCV ––> V-CCCV. Example: Polish pstry ‘gaudy’ has an onset made up of 4
consonants, so the Complex Onset Rule must apply more than once (three times)

 Iterative Complex Coda: the coda may contain more than two consonants,
for instance, VCCCCV ––> VCCC-CV. Note: the CV Rule is obligatory, so the structure
VCCCC-V is not possible. Example: Polish (or English) tekst – three consonants in the coda,
so the Complex Coda Rule must apply twice. Polish may have 5 consonants in the coda:
przestępstw (gen.pl.) ‘crime’: [pšɛ-stɛmpstf].

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The syllable Paweł Rydzewski

6. Syllable Structure Constraints

a. Sonority scale (Jespersen 1904):
V (vowels) – most sonorous
G (glides)
L (liquids: [l] and [r])
N (nasals)
F (fricatives)
S (stops) – least sonorous

b. SSG constraint = Sonority Sequencing Generalization (Jespersen 1904)

SFNLGVGLNFS

7. Examples:
Polish and English are subject to the Principle of Onset Maximization:
Ta.try, bu.tla
a.pprove
su.pply
and yet there is no maximal onset in:
Polish:
kar.ty, not ka.rty;
Mal.ta [mal-ta], not [ma-lta]
English:
con.tain not co.ntain
pulpit [pʊl-pɪt], not [pʊ-lpɪt]
Answer: Complex Onset is blocked by the SSG.

8. Suspensions (they suspend the SSG, so the SSA may apply even though there is an SSG
violation):
a. Polish Obstruent Suspension: the SSG is suspended for obstruents.
This means that we may have two fricatives or two stops in the onset or in the coda and we may
also have a fricative before a stop in the onset and a stop followed by a fricative in the coda.:
ptak [pt-] – two stops in the onset 2, fakt [-kt] – two stops in the coda , schab [sx-] – two
fricatives in the onset , wierzch [-šx] – two fricatives in the coda , wtorek [ft-] – a fricative

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The syllable Paweł Rydzewski

followed by a stop in the onset , wieprz [-pš] – a stop followed by a fricative in the coda. What
about przestępstwo?

b. English s-Onset Suspension: [s] is syllabified into the onset in violation of

the SSG.
suspend, sustain
Note: only [s] and no other obstruents (unlike in Polish) can violate the SSG because after is
af.ter and obtain is ob.tain.

c. English Dental Coda Suspension: dentals (i.e. real dentals and alveolars) can violate
the SSG in the coda.
depth, lapse, ax
fifth, apt, act
cats, helped, sixths
Only dentals can violate the SSG in the coda, so there are no words such as atk.

9. Collocational constraints
a. English Lateral Onset Constraint: No [tl-], [dl-], [θl-] onsets.
No words in English begin with [tl-], [dl-], [θl-] and words such as atlas are syllabified at.las,
not a.tlas, even though English is subject to Onset Maximization.

b. English Stop Nasal Constraint: A stop cannot be followed by a nasal in the onset.
Consequently, k, p, d are not pronounced in words such as know, pneumonia, and Dnieper BUT
[k] is pronounced in acknowledge because it can go into the coda of the preceding syllable.

c. English Stop Fricative Constraint: A stop cannot be followed by a fricative in the onset. 3
Consequently, psychology, psychic and similar words have [saɪ] as the initial syllable, and not
[psaɪ].

10. Exercises:
Syllabify atlas, abstract, contract, absentmindedness