English Phonetics and

Phonology
Peter Roach

CHAPTER NINE: STRONG AND WEAK SYLLABLES

Why Called: Strong and Weak?
What are Strong and Weak Syllables?
Examples on Weak Syllables
The ә Vowel (schwa)
Cont.
Neutralized /i/ (close front)
Neutralized /u/ (close back)
Syllabic /ḷ/
 Syllabic /ṇ/
 /ṇ/ is found after alveolar plosives: ‘eaten’, ‘hidden’.
 /ṇ/ is found after alveolar /s, z/: ‘lessen’, ‘season’; and also after /f, v/
commoner than /әn/: ‘coffin’, ‘raven’.
 /ṇ/ is NOT found after /l, ʧ, ʤ/.
 /ṇ/ after velar /g/ is rarely heard: ‘toboggan’, ‘wagon’, but after /k/ it is
equally acceptable to produce /ṇ/ or /әn/: ‘thicken’, ‘waken’.
 /ṇ/ after bilabials is found: ‘happen’, ‘ribbon’; but /әn/ can also be found.
Syllabic /ṃ, ŋ/
Syllabic /ṛ/
Combinations of Syllabic Consonants