Syllables

A phoneme is the smallest distinctive speech sound in a language. It distinguishes one sound
from another. In English there are 24 consonant phonemes. Examples: the /s/ in /si:/and /z/
in /zu:/ represent two different phonemes. We produce continues stream of sounds when we
speak. Each stream is a segment. Example: the word ‘sat’ is pronounced with first segment
/s/, a second segment /æ/ and the third segment /t/. The human speech mechanism is
capable of producing an infinite number of speech sounds. Every language makes its own
selection from this vast number of human sounds, and this selection makes its particular
sound system. But all these sounds are not significant from the purpose of some meaning.
Naturally we study only those sounds that make a meaningful difference between words and
help us to communicate between individuals speaking a particular language.

Since Phonetics is the study of speech sounds and their production, a phonetician can tell us
even about the small difference between the two sounds of single phoneme. For example the
two possible sounds of /p/ in the word Phillips /filips/. The first /p/ is aspirated while the
second /p/ is pronounced. Hence phonemes are smallest distinctive sounds. In English there
are 24 consonant and 20 vowel phonemes.

The Syllable Structure

A Syllable is one of the units into which a word may be divided. Usually, it consists of a vowel
sound with a consonant before or after it, but in English a syllable may consist of a single
vowel. Example: / / A syllable corresponds to a chest pulse or a muscle movement, pushing
the air out of the lungs. Many words in English are monosyllabic i.e. consisting of one syllable.
Example: /mæn/ and /sit/. The number of syllables in a word corresponds to the number of
vowel sounds in that word. Words can be made up of one, two, three or more syllables. They
are monosyllabic, disyllabic, trisyllabic and polysyllabic.

Word stress

Word stress is the emphasis placed on a specific syllable within a word, a feature observed in English
and various other languages. This means that not all syllables in a word are pronounced equally;
instead, one syllable is stressed, receiving more emphasis, while the others are pronounced more
quickly and with less force.

The placement of stress in a word can impact both its meaning and pronunciation. For instance,
consider the word "permit" as a noun with stress on the first syllable (PER-mit), denoting official
authorization, and as a verb with stress on the second syllable (per-MIT), signifying granting
permission.

Stress patterns can vary across languages and even within the same language for different words. In
English, factors such as the number of syllables, the type of syllables (open or closed), and the part of
speech can influence word stress. Proficiency in recognizing and correctly using word stress is essential
for effective and clear communication in spoken language.