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Understanding English Syllables and Clusters

This document summarizes key aspects of syllables from the textbook "English Phonetics and Phonology" by Peter Roach. It discusses the basic structure of syllables as having an onset, nucleus, and coda. It provides examples of different syllable types including those with no onset/coda, single consonant onsets/codas, and consonant clusters. It examines possible consonant combinations in onsets and codas in English phonotactics. Finally, it notes that a vowel is generally the nucleus but syllabic consonants are also possible in some cases.

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135 views8 pages

Understanding English Syllables and Clusters

This document summarizes key aspects of syllables from the textbook "English Phonetics and Phonology" by Peter Roach. It discusses the basic structure of syllables as having an onset, nucleus, and coda. It provides examples of different syllable types including those with no onset/coda, single consonant onsets/codas, and consonant clusters. It examines possible consonant combinations in onsets and codas in English phonotactics. Finally, it notes that a vowel is generally the nucleus but syllabic consonants are also possible in some cases.

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Catt
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Universidad de Concepción

Dpto. Idiomas Extranjeros


733278 Fonética segmental

THE SYLLABLE
CHAPTER 8

Roach, P. (2007). English Phonetics and Phonology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (70-80).
THE SYLLABLE

perception/
production
Phonetics
CCC+V+CCCC
onset-center-coda
Syllable
Different
Phonology distributions
(combinations)
THE SYLLABLE
PHONETICALLY

Minimum syllable, preceded and followed by a A single vowel


silence Are /ɑ:/, or /ɔ:/, err /ɜ:/
(zero onset)
With onset Bar /bɑ:/ more /mɔ:/ car /kɑ:/
Any consonant but /η//ʒ/
Without onset but coda Am / æm/ ought /ɔ:t/ ease /i:z/

With onset and with coda Pet run seat


/pet/ /rʌn/ /si:t/
Phonotactics: study of the possible phoneme combinations
Consonant cluster: two or more consonants together
SYLLABLE ONSETS
• INITIAL TWO-CONSONANT CLUSTERS:
• A) PRE-INITIAL CONSONANT  “S”+C (C) – : STAY , SMOKE,
• B) INITIAL CONSONANT  “S”+C (C) : STAY, SMOKE
• C) POST-INITIAL CONSONANT  “S”+C (C) : SPRAY

“s” pre-initial consonant Initial consonant Post-initial Rest of the word…


consonant
/s/ /p/ /r/ -ay (spray)
/s/ /t/ /r/ -ing
/s/ /p/ -ew
/s/ /k/ /l/ -erosis
/t/ /r/ -y (try)
/w/, /m/ Also : /w//j/
See Table 2 p. 72 for more examples
FINAL CONSONANT CLUSTERS
• A) ZERO CODA  NO FINAL CONSONANT
• B) 1 CONSONANT ONLY  FINAL CONSONANT (ANY EXCEPT/h//r//w//j/)
**
• C) 2 TYPES OF 2 CONSONANT FINAL CLUSTER
• PRECEDED BY PRE-FINAL CONSONANTS:
• FOLLOWED BY POST-FINAL CONSONANTS

Pre-final consonants Final Post-final consonants


/m/,/n/,/η/,/l/,/s/ any except ** /s/, /z/, /t/, /d/, /ɵ/
*often in a separate
morpheme
Bump, bent, belt, ask Bets, beds, backed,
bagged,
***1st plosive in plosive+plosive cluster :
without plosion, almost inaudible.
THREE CONSONANT CLUSTER
Pre-final Final Post-final
Helped /l/ /p/ /t/
Banks
Bonds
twelfth
Pre-final Final Post-final 1 Post-final 2

Fifth ----- /f/ /ɵ/ /s/


Next -----
Lapsed -----

FOUR CONSONAT CLUSTER


Pre-final Final Post-final 1 Post-final 2

Twelfths /l/ /f/ /ɵ/ /s/


Prompts /m/ /p/ /t/ /s/
CLUSTER WITH 3 POST-FINAL CONSONANTS
Pre-final Final Post-final 1 Post-final 2 Post-final 3
Sixths -----
Texts ----
Write the phonemes for the final consonant sounds in the slots

Pre-final/final/post-final1/post-final2
Pre-initial/initial/post-initial vowel /post-final3

Onset Centre Coda


GENERAL INFORMATION
• A VOWEL IS NEEDED AS THE CENTRE OF THE SYLLABLE
• BUT…SYLLABIC CONSONANTS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE (CHAPTER 9)
• TO BEAR IN MIND … STUDENTS
/ˈstjuː.dənts/

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