Syllables Synonyms Rhymes Quiz
vocabulary
589631247 syllables
Divide vocabulary into syllables: vo-cab-u-lar-y
How to pronounce vocabulary: voh-kab-yuh-ler-ee
How to say vocabulary:
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What are the syllables in English. Slogan making in English
Before we begin to understand what an open and closed syllable is, I would like to warn you right away — in English, reading rules have so many exceptions that it is better to just remember reading as many words as possible, and read the rest by analogy.
But at school they teach the rules and give grades. In order to apply the rules correctly, first we will deal with the syllables.
In English, as well as in Russian, words are divided into syllables. Very often, in order to correctly read a vowel in a syllable, it is necessary to determine the type of syllable — an open or closed syllable.
Let’s take the usual Russian word “book»We divide it into syllables: BOOK… Both syllables end in a vowel sound, which means that both syllables OPEN.
Let’s take the word “trap«, We divide into syllables: TRAP… In this example, both syllables end in a consonant sound, which means that both CLOSED.
But defining the syllable of an English syllable is not as easy as in Russian. A typical English word contains 2, maximum 3 syllables, so it is not difficult to find a syllable.
If you take the floor name, then you might think that there are 2 syllables in it, but we all know that this is read, that is, there is one syllable. Let’s take a closer look at why everything is so.
Open syllable1. If there is no consonant in the syllable after the vowel.
For example: go, no, ago, my, hi, be, me.
2. If after the vowel there is immediately «e» at the end of the word
For example: pie, lie, toe, blue, bye, dye.
3. If there is a consonant letter, but it is immediately followed by a «mute» vowel «e», which is not readable.
For example: name, blade, take, these, mine, time, type.
3. After the stressed vowel — consonant + le
For example: table, noble.
Remember !!! In an open syllable, vowels are read sameas they are called in.
Closed syllableIf in a syllable after a vowel there is one or more consonant letters (except for the letter r).
For example: bad, cat, vet, strip, stop, camp, battle, end, center, pink.
But in English there are «tricky» vowels and consonants. They can be read differently depending on how they are positioned in the word.
The pronunciation of words, in any language, is largely determined by the norms of syllabus. Having understood the main provisions, you will not only learn the rules of competent transfer, but also begin to better understand the language.
The practical necessity of slogan splitting
A syllable is a phonetic-phonological unit. Simply put, it stands out only during pronunciation, but does not play any role in semantic word formation. Therefore, this unit is called pronunciation.
The easiest way for native Russian speakers to understand the rules for dividing words in English is by analogy. The fact is that the norms for distinguishing syllables in both languages are similar. The main similarity of syllabary definition is the leading role of vowels, they are called syllabic.
A simple way of dividing a word is told in elementary school. The hand is brought to the chin, after which the word is pronounced. The number of touches of the chin of the hand determines the number of syllables.
Slogan rules in English
Depending on the sound the word ends with, open syllables and closed ones are distinguished. Open ones always end in vowels. In addition, when a syllable is formed with a long stressed vowel or diphthong, it will also be open.
Closed syllables always end in a consonant. If the syllable is formed by a short vowel, it will also be closed.
The main feature of syllabic separation is the need to separate the word not from the beginning, but from the end. The rules for the division of the English language become clearer when studying specific examples.
1. As a rule, the number of syllables depends on the vowels used: po-ta-to.
2. The presence of one vowel already forms a syllable: a-bo-ut.
3. Two consonants on the border of a syllable are the basis for division into parts: po-et.
4. A word that has several vowels formed by a diphthong, ie. one sound, has only one syllable:, it cannot be divided into parts.
5. The appearance of a consonant at the border of syllable division leads to its allocation in the second syllable: i-ma-gine, if several consonants appear at the junction, then the first one belongs to one syllable, and the rest to another: ab-sent.
6. Syllables are formed by the combination –er, located after w: flow-er.
7. The appearance of the letter l on the border of syllables refers it to the next syllable, together with a nearby consonant: ta-ble.
8. Combinations of consonants ld and nd draw a syllable boundary before them: mi-ld, ki-nd.
Slogan making and its role:
1. Norms of correct transfer. It is thanks to the knowledge of the provisions of syllabus that you can competently divide words into parts that must be highlighted in the letter when wrapping between lines.
2. Criteria for dividing a word into components. In the English language, there is no single standard of syllabus division, therefore morphological, phonetic or spelling principles of division can be used.
3. Development of the language. The ongoing processes of correlation of syllable morphology set new parameters for the division of words.
We have outlined the basic rules for syllabus in the English language. In general, they are quite simple and not particularly difficult to master. Although, everyone who seeks to improve their language and write competently, it is necessary not only to learn them, but also to understand them.
A short and clear course on slogan splitting
The reading of a vowel depends on the letters adjacent to it and on the type of syllable in which it is located.
Open syllable
A syllable is considered open if it ends in a vowel (to-tal, ri-val, bi-ble, mo-tor). The vowel in this case gives a long sound — that is, it is read as in the alphabet. Words with a dumb «e» also belong to this type. For example:
Some monosyllabic words also represent open syllables. For example, me, she, he and no, so, go.
Closed syllable
The closed syllable is the most common spelling unit of the English language; it makes up about 50% of the syllables in the text. A closed syllable ends in one or more consonants, and the vowel is read briefly in this case.
In English, there are many closed-type monosyllabic words (cat, pin, hen). If a vowel is added to them, the consonant in front of it is doubled. This is done in order to avoid changing the sound. For example:
- hat — hatter
- pin — pinned
- hot — hottest
- red — reddish
- cut — cutting
The syllable «vowel + r»
The third type of syllable is one in which the vowel is followed by the letter «r». At the same time, the vowel gives a long sound, and the «r» itself is not readable (c).
- car
- retreatment
- girl [ɡɜːl]
- here
- turn
The doubled «r» does not affect the sound of the vowel. In this case, the syllable is read as closed. Compare:
- smirk — mirror [ˈmɪrə]
- curl — current [ˈkʌr (ə) nt]
- port — torrent [ˈtɒr (ə) nt]
The syllable «vowel + re»
In a syllable of this type, the letter «r» is also not read, and the vowel forms a diphthong.
- give
- mers
- hire [ˈhaɪə]
- core
- pure
The syllable «consonant + le»
Sometimes this syllable stands out separately — it occurs only at the end of a word. If -le is preceded by one consonant, the syllable is read as open. If there are two consonants in front of -le, it is read as closed. Compare:
- table [ˈteɪbl] — dabble, title [ˈtaɪtl] — little [ˈlɪtl]
- bugle — struggle [ˈstrʌɡl], rifle [ˈraɪfl] — sniffle [ˈsnɪfl]
Not every consonant is found in combination with -Le… Here are the ones that are typical for the English language:
- -ble (bubble) -fle (rifle) -stle (whistle) -cle (cycle)
- -gle (bugle) -tle (brittle) -ckle (pickle) -kle (tinkle)
- -zle (dazzle) -dle (bridle) -ple (staple)
Vowel combinations (digraphs)
A digraph is a combination of two letters that are pronounced as one sound.In the case of vowels, it can be a long, short sound or a diphthong. Most often, digraphs are found in old Anglo-Saxon words, the pronunciation of which has undergone changes over hundreds of years: thief, boil, hay, boat, straw. They are read according to special rules, but they have many exceptions, so these words need to be learned gradually and systematically.
Basic vowel digraphs
Spelling | Pronunciation | Examples |
ai / ai | [eɪ] | bait, hay |
au / aw | [ɔː] | taunt, draw |
ea | [i:] | meat, deal |
[e] | bread, steady | |
ee | [i:] | feed, reel |
ei | [eɪ] | feint, vein |
[i:] (after c) | ceiling, receive | |
eu/ew | [ju:] | Feud, Strewn |
ie | [i:] | thief, priest |
oa | [əʊ] | coat, goal |
oi/oy | [ɔɪ] | coin, toy |
oo | [u:] | root, food |
[ʊ] (before k) | book, look | |
ou | [aʊ] | loud, noun |
[u:] | soup, ghoul | |
ow | [aʊ] | cow, howl |
[oʊ] | know, low |
A vowel combination is not a digraph if the vowels belong to different syllables. In this case, the first vowel is read as in an open syllable, and the second is in an unstressed position and gives the sound [ə]. For example: lion [«laɪən], diet [ˈdaɪət].
To, you need to know the types of syllables in English. Knowing a few simple rules will take you one step closer to the desired pronunciation like native speakers.
Let’s first remember the basic things, a syllable is or several vowel sounds in combination with a consonant / consonant, which are pronounced with one push of exhaled air. There are four types of syllables: an open syllable, a closed syllable, and two conditionally open (or semi-closed) types of syllables.
Open and closed syllables in English are most common, so it is worth talking about them in more detail with examples and exceptions, but we will also tell you about the rest.
Closed syllables
This is the most common syllable. It ends in a consonant (one or more), and the vowel in the syllable is read briefly. We have selected a few examples for you to help you remember the rule better:
bad — bad
cat — cat
lip — lip
sad — sad
black — the blackExceptions:
As usual, this rule has a few exceptions to keep in mind:
Free lesson on the topic:
Irregular verbs of the English language: table, rules and examples
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Source: https://domsireni.ru/otopitelnye-sistemy/kakie-byvayut-slogi-v-angliiskom-yazyke-slogodelenie-v-angliiskom/
Stress in English: how to determine the stressed syllable
On this page you can familiarize yourself with the stress setting rule in English:
— two important rules for stating stress in English — dividing a word into syllables — designating a stressed syllable in transcription — rules for stressing the first syllable — rules for stressing the last syllable — rules for stressing the second syllable from the end — rules for stressing the third syllable from the end
— rules of stress in compound words
Pronunciation
In English, we don’t pronounce every syllable with the same strength. In each single word, the stress falls only on one syllable. We pronounce this syllable louder and clearerand everyone else quieter and less audible.
An example of stress setting
Let’s consider this phenomenon in the following example — let’s take three words photograph, photographer и PhotoGraphic… Do they sound the same? No. This is because we strike one particular syllable, and each time it is different. Thus, the schematic representation of each of the words we have taken is different.
Schematic word image | Common number of syllables | Shocksyllable | |
PHO to GRAPH | ‘. … | 3 | № 1 |
PHO TO GRAPHER | … ‘. … | 4 | № 2 |
PHO TO GRAPH IC | … … ‘. | 4 | № 3 |
This happens in all two or more complex words: TEACHer, JaPAN, CHINa, aBOVE, converSAtion, INteresting, imPORtant, deMAND, etc.
The importance of correct stress
Unstressed syllables are weak, quiet and less clear. Native speakers, perceiving someone’s speech by ear, are guided by drums syllables, not unstressed. Thus, if you correctly place the stress in words, you automatically improve your pronunciation and listening skills.
Stress rules in English
There are two extremely important rules for placing stress in English:
- One word — one main stressed syllable. (There cannot be two main stresses in one word (meaning main stress). If you hear two stresses, these are two words. In some words, the presence of a secondary stress is possible, but it is much weaker than the main stress and occurs only in long words.)
- The stress always falls on the vowel.
To understand the rules for stating stress, you need to understand how words are divided into syllables. Each word consists of a number of syllables: one, two, three or more syllables.
word | number of syllables | |
dog | dog | 1 |
green | green | 1 |
quite | quite | 1 |
quiet | quiet | 2 |
Orange | or-ange | 2 |
backgammon | ta-ble | 2 |
expensive | ex-pen-sive | 3 |
interesting | in-ter-est-ing | 4 |
realistic | re-al-is-tic | 4 |
unexceptional | un-ex-ception-al | 5 |
Please note that (with a few rare exceptions) each syllable contains at least one vowela letter (a, e, i, o or u) or vowel.
Stress notation
There are a number of rules about which syllable is stressed. As you learn a new word, you also need to remember where the stress falls in it. If you are unsure, you need to consult the dictionary.
They all give a transcription, which denotes the phonetic spelling of the word. The stressed syllable is usually indicated by the apostrophe (‘), standing directly before or after stressed syllable.
However, these rules are quite complex and can vary from vocabulary to vocabulary.
Example: | transcription: vocabulary A | transcription: dictionaryB |
PLAS TIC | ‘. | ‘. |
/ plæs’tIk / | / ‘plæs tIk / |
Stress on the first syllable
Rule: | Example: |
Mostdisyllabic nouns | PRESent, EXport, CHINA, TABLE |
Mostdisyllabic adjectives | PRESent, SLENder, CLEVer, HAPpy |
Accent on the last syllable
Rule: | Example: |
Mostdisyllabic verbs | to preSENT, to export, to deCIDE, to beGIN |
In English, there are a large number of disyllabic words whose meaning changes with the change of stress. So the word present, for example, consists of two syllables. If the stress falls on the first syllable, then it is a noun («gift») or an adjective («present»).
But if the stress falls on the second syllable, this word becomes a verb («to offer»). This group includes the following words, whose meaning directly depends on where the stress falls: export, import, contract и object.
Stress on the second syllable from the end
Rule: | Example: |
Words ending in -ic | GRAPHic, geoGRAPHic, geoLOGic |
Words ending in —sion и —production | teleVIsion, reveLAtion |
There are a number of words where native speakers disagree about where the stress is. For example, some say televisionwhile others say TELEvisionAnother example of a similar double standard: CONtroversy и conTROversy.
Stress on the third syllable from the end
Rule: | Example: |
Words ending in —cy, —ty, —physical и —gy | deMOcracy, dependentBIlity, phoTOgraphy, geOLogy |
Words ending in -to the | CRItical, geoLOGical |
Compound words
Rule: | Example: |
Complex of nounsstress falls on first часть | BLACKbird, GREENhouse |
Complex adjectivesstress falls on the second часть | bad-TEMPERED, old-FASHioned |
Complex verbsstress falls on the second часть | to underSTAND, to overFLOW |
Additional materials:
Source: https://www.activeenglish.ru/vocabulary/udarenie-v-anglijskom-jazyke-word-stress/
Lesson 8. Pronunciation of consonants [f] and [v]. Closed syllable in English
Hello! In this lesson, we again return to consonant sounds and now we learn to pronounce sounds [f] и [v] and accordingly read the English letters Ff [ef] and Vv [vi]. And let’s also remember what a closed syllable is in English, since this is one of the basic concepts in teaching reading.
So, from lesson number 8 you will learn:
- how to pronounce english consonants [f] и [v] correctly;
- what is a closed syllable in English;
- and repeat how the vowel is read y at the end of the word.
If you have just joined us, then here is a link to the section «Author’s English lessons for teaching reading and pronunciation at the same time»
* * *
Rules for reading letters f and v in English
So, let’s begin! English consonants f и v transmit sounds [f] и [v]. The sounds [f] and [v] are labiodental, that is, to pronounce them, you need bite the lower lip with the upper teeth.
At first glance, the English sounds [f] and [v] are similar to the Russian “f” and “v”. But there is also a significant difference: the English sounds [f] and [v] are long.
To pronounce the English sound [v] correctly, it is necessary to pronounce it for a long time, as, for example, the doubled «v» in the words «up», «introduction».
To pronounce the English sound [f] correctly, bite the lower lip and exhale vigorously. The English sound [f] is very long and strong. In the transcription [f] should be designated [fff].
Listen to how the sounds [f] and [v] are pronounced — HERE
As for the concept of «voiced» — «deaf», the British do not understand at all what it is. They have the concept of «weak» (we call this sound «voiced» in Russian) and the concept of «strong» (we call this sound «dull»).
Now we need to practice a little. Let’s get down to the exercises. After that we will repeat again, how words are divided into syllables, which syllable is in the word MAIN and what is a closed syllable in English.
Now we start working out English sounds [fff] and [vvv]
* * *
Phonetic exercises with audio recording (closed content no.19)
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What is a closed syllable in English?
If you learn English from scratch on our website, then from lesson number 6 you learned what the third type of syllable is in English. Now we’ll talk about how words are divided into syllables. (1)which syllable in the word is the most important (2) и what is a closed syllable in English(3) (it was already mentioned in lesson 1)
(1) So, words are divided into syllables by the number of vowels… That is, how many vowels there are in a word, there are so many syllables in it. Take a word for example, happy Doubled consonant p divides a word into two syllables.
`hap — py
- hap — this syllable ends with a consonant sound, and is called closed;
- py — this syllable, ends in a vowel sound, and is called open.
(2) The main thing is the STRICT syllable. It is in it that the vowel sound is read according to the rules that you have already learned. By the way, I remind you that the unstressed letter y at the end of a word reads like [i], for example, party [`pa: ti]
(3) A closed syllable is a syllable that ends in a consonant.
Now let’s remember the passed rules for reading vowels in a closed syllable in English:
a is readAs [æ]. Examples. hat, happy
e readAs [e]. Examples. men, mental
i, y are readAs [i]. Examples. kit, kitty
u readAs [ʌ]. Examples. bud, buddy
0 is often read as [ʌ]. Examples. love, glove, lovely.
NOTE. How to read the vowel Oo in a closed syllable, you will learn further — Lesson number 9. Reading the English letter Oo in a closed syllable.
NOTE. Sonorous consonants m, n, l — also form a syllable, because they can be pulled. Try saying [mmmm], [nnnn], [llll]. Therefore, in the word apple there are two syllables: ap-ple (the second syllable is a sonor consonant — l).
Also, remember, in English vowel e at the end of a word NEVER readable.
Once there is closed syllable, then, accordingly, there is open syllable, but you will learn about it in the following lessons. For now, let’s figure out how unstressed vowels are read in English.
* * *
The rule of reading an unstressed vowel in English
So, as a rule, there is usually one stressed syllable in a word, in which the vowel is read according to the rules, then a logical question arises: how is an unstressed vowel read?
In English there is a universal sound similar to the Russian «e» — [ə]… This is the most common sound, as it is read in all unstressed syllables. This sound is called «Seam». Sometimes it is replaced by the sound [i], as, for example, in the words above.
Exercise 5. Read two-syllable words with learned sounds:
apple, badly, balcony, happy, garden, party, hardly, carpet, dummy, funny, muddy, puppy, lovely, kitty, ditty, mitten, kitten, affect, Betty, heaven [`hevən]
Exercise 6. Finally, memorize a few English phrases:
- Have fun! — Have fun!
- Have tea. — Have some tea.
- Keep fit. — Keep in shape.
- Be happy! — Be happy!
Let’s sum up the results of the eighth lesson from the cycle «Teaching reading in English and pronunciation at the same time», from which you learned and hopefully remembered that:
- words are divided into syllables by the number of vowels;
- closed is a syllable that ends in a consonant;
- in a closed stressed syllable, the vowel is read according to the rules that must be memorized;
- in unstressed syllables, the vowel reads like [ə] or [i]. So, for example, the unstressed letter y at the end of a word it reads like [i].
* * *
And of course you now know how to pronounce sounds [f] и [v] in english is correct.
Lesson 9. Pronunciation of the English vowel [ɒ]. Reading the English letter O in a closed syllable. You will learn how to pronounce the very English sound [ɒ] and how to read the vowel Oo in a closed syllable.
Source: http://englishstory.ru/urok-8-proiznoshenie-soglasnyih-zvukov-f-i-v-ponyatie-o-zakryitom-sloge.html
According to the rules of syllabus division, the correct pronunciation of a word is determined in many aspects (and this applies to all languages). After reading this article, everyone will master the rules of transfer and, in general, will be better at understanding the intricacies of the English language.
The practical necessity of slogan splitting
A syllable in a language is the minimum phonetic-phonological unit. It is characterized by the greatest acoustic (sound) fusion of sounds included in it. This unit received such a name because the syllable does not matter at all in semantic word formation.
It will be easier for the reader of the article, as a person who has Russian as a native language, to master the rules of syllabus division in English. This is because the emphasis on syllables in words in both of these languages are almost the same… Accordingly, every native Russian speaker can practice this topic using the principle of analogy.
The main common feature is, of course, syllabic vowels (as taught in elementary school: «as many vowels in a word, as many syllables»).
Almost everyone who has gone through elementary school has been taught the easiest way of «verbal» division of words into syllables. The first method looks simple enough. When pronouncing a certain word with every vowel that occurs in it, you need to clap.
Next, you need to count how many claps were. The number of claps will be equal to the number of syllables in the word. Another method is much simpler than the one described above. In order to count the number of syllables in a particular spoken word, you need to bring your hand to your chin.
How many times the chin touches the hand, there are so many syllables in the word.
Slogan rules in English
It’s time to talk about how to correctly split (divide) words into syllables in English.
Syllables in English are open and closed. It depends on which sound the word ends with.
- As for open syllables, they end in vowels. Plus, the syllable will also be open when it is formed by a diphthong (diphthong Is a sound, the pronunciation of which involves a transition from one vowel sound type to another) or a long vowel sound on which the stress falls.
- Closed syllables, respectively, end in consonants. If a particular syllable is formed by a consonant paint, it will also be closed.
The main feature of syllabus separation in English is the need to separate words from the end (not like in Russian, from the beginning).
It is worth giving the rules of syllabus in English, clearly showing them with specific examples.
Rule number one
The number of syllables in a certain word depends on the vowels used in it: «To-ma- to» (UK: [tmt], US: [t-me-to]) (translation: tomato, tomato).
Rule number two
One vowel sound is enough to form a syllable: «A-bo-ut» ([-ba-t]) (translation: o / pro (meaning “about something), about / approximately (illustrative example: The speed of the car was about one hundreds and twenty seven kilometers per hour. The car was traveling at a speed of about one hundred twenty seven kilometers per hour (about one hundred twenty seven).
Rule number three
If there are two consonant letters on the «border» of syllables, it must be divided into two parts: «po-et» (UK: [pt], US: [po-t]) (translation: poet).
Rule number four
If a word has several sounds formed by a diphthong (this definition was presented above), then it has only one syllable: ([lak]) (translation: like (verb) (example: I the way you do it! I like how you do it!), like (noun)).
Rule number five
If there is a consonant sound in a word at the «edges» (boundaries) of syllables, it is highlighted in the second: «E-co-lo-gy» (UK: [-kl-di], US: [ikl-di]) (translation: ecology).
Rule number six
Syllables can also be formed in the presence of the letter combination «er», which comes after the letter «W»: «Show-er» (UK version: [a-], American version: [ar]) (translation: rain, shower).
Rule number seven
The letter «L», being on the border of syllables (when colliding with another letter), refers to the following syllable: «Ta-ble» (British version: [te-b () l], American version: [te-bl]) (translation: table, scoreboard, table).
Rule number eight
This rule may seem rather strange to many at first glance. However, it operates and is used throughout almost the entire existence of modern English («post-Shakespearean» or, in the scientific «language», New English).
Before such combinations of letters (letters) as «Ld» and «nd», the border of the syllable is drawn.
In other words, these combinations are a separate syllable: «mi-ld» ([ma-ld]) (translation: mild (mainly — climate), light, temperate), «mi-nd» ([ma-nd]) ( mind, against (to be mind example: do you mind, if I drink of your cup a bit? Do you mind if I drink a little from your cup?).
Most likely, every attentive reader noticed that in the last syllables formed by the above-mentioned letter combinations, the last two examples given completely lack vowel sounds (as, in other cases, in the American pronunciation of the word «table», which was given in the previous rule).
This is the main «strangeness» of this rule (at least for those who happened to think in Russian). After reading the last rule, English may seem even more insidious to many. But one should not be afraid of such «cunning words».
Plus, in English, in most words, the rules for dividing them into syllables are applied, similar to the rules in Russian.
What is the role of slogan splitting?
1. Due to the correct division into syllables, it is easier to comply with the rules of correct transfer.
2. In the English language there are several principles of syllabus division:
- phonetic;
- morphological;
- orthographic.
3. The ongoing processes of division into syllables set other parameters for the division of words. In the course of the evolution of language, metamorphoses can lead to the emergence of new rules for syllabic division.
The rules above are simple enough to understand. However, everyone who wants to learn English to the fullest should not only read and memorize them, but also delve into, that is, try to correctly understand and understand them.
However, this is not enough to fully immerse yourself in the topic and get the opportunity to apply these rules in practice. You need to know which of the syllables you need to focus on in this or that case.
To correctly pronounce (or read) any word in English, you must:
- Put stress correctly;
- Determine the type of syllable.
As for the stressed syllable, there are several combinations of letters (suffixes / postfixes) that allow you to determine the stressed syllable:
- ious;
- ial;
- ion;
- ian;
- iant;
- iance;
- ience;
- ic;
- ical.
The syllables in the word before the above letter combinations (suffixes) are stressed. Example: «De-li-cious»: [dls] (UK), [dls] (US).
That’s all, these are quite simple rules for determining the number of syllables in English.
Source: https://bestcube.space/slogodelenie-v-anglijskom-yazyke
Dividing words into syllables
To quickly divide words into syllables online, use the form below. Multiple words can be entered in the text box, separated by spaces or commas. When you click the «Divide into Syllables» button, the result will be shown instantly in the text box. The form is designed to highlight syllables only in Russian words typed in Russian letters.
It is more convenient to read phrases and sentences, the words in which are divided into syllables according to the old rules. From the point of view of perception and ease of pronunciation, the old rules are more convenient than the new ones, so they are used in the form. However, individual words on our site have been sorted out according to the new rules, you can find such words through the search form. See the rules for dividing into syllables in more detail.
The form is convenient for cases in which you need to break a lot of words into syllables without details and background information. If you need to find out how many and what syllables are in words, what hyphenation options are, then use the search form or select words by the number of syllables in them:
Note 1. Do not use the result of dividing words into syllables to determine where to hyphenate words. The division into syllables and the allocation of hyphenation places are not always the same. On our site, the difference is explained in detail (points 4-5 from the rules for dividing into syllables).
2.
Division into syllables is carried out taking into account the rules of the school curriculum. Some rules may differ from the rules of the institute program and schools with in-depth study of the Russian language.
For this reason, in some cases, syllables may not be allocated in accordance with your knowledge of the rules for dividing words into syllables.
Syllable
A syllable is one vowel sound or a combination of one vowel with one or more consonants. In other words: vowel sounds form syllables, consonants only in conjunction with a vowel form a syllable. A small cheat sheet can help to memorize: vowels — «speak», consonants — «agree.» For example: in the word dog, three syllables are distinguished so-ba-ka (vowels: o, a, a, consonants: s, b, k), in the word Asia — three syllables A-zi-i (vowels: a, i, i, consonant: h).
Syllables consisting of two or more sounds are open and closed. Open syllables end in a vowel sound: water-yes, tra-va, ro-di-na. Closed syllables end in a consonant: com-bain, short, yellow.
There are covered syllables starting with a consonant, and uncovered ones starting with a vowel. Examples: ko-ra (both syllables covered), i-blo-ko (one uncovered, two covered).
How many syllables are in a word?
Words are made up of syllables. Based on the definition of a syllable, the number of syllables in a word is determined by the number of vowel sounds. School teachers of the Russian language often say: «How many vowels — so many syllables.»
Example: snow — one syllable, read — two syllables, work — three syllables, long-necked — five syllables.
More examples of syllables:
- water — syllables in and yes;
- read — syllables chi, ta, la;
- I am the syllable I;
- vernal — syllables ve, shni, e;
- chair — the syllable chair, in the word one syllable, consisting of one vowel and three consonants.
The syllable is the minimum part of the word when pronouncing, if you do not take into account the degenerate cases when you need to spell the word. Hence the well-known expressions: read syllables, pronounce syllables. The syllable, like sound and stress, belongs to the section of phonetics.
In Russian, there are words without syllables, that is, consisting only of consonants. Onomatopoeic words are a prime example of such words. For example: hmm, t-s-s-s, tr-tr-tr.
Source: https://syllables.ru/syllable.html
Open and closed syllables in English: basic rules
How the closed and open syllables differ in English is not necessary to learn if you do not cultivate a professional level in yourself. Although the topic itself is not a serious problem, you need to know the basic rules. The standard of syllabus definition of the English language differs significantly from the Russian phonetics.
The general rule is that the number of syllables corresponds to the number of vowel sounds.
This means that you need not look at the letters, but listen to the pronunciation of the word, since in English there are an abundance of mute vowels, diphthongs, etc.
In addition, the so-called sonorant consonants can also be syllabic, so the word «mild» will be divided in this way: mi | ld. In the future, it will become clear why this is happening.
Syllabic division is made from the end of the word: student — stu | dent, money — mo | ney, permission — per | mis | sion.
A consonant that is on the border of two syllables is thus adjacent to the following vowel. Doubled sounds are divided. All this matters if you need to find out how to pronounce this or that unfamiliar word. Also, for this you need to know about closed and open syllables in English.
Open syllables
The main rule of an open syllable in English is that it must end in a vowel. In this case, the vowel is read in the same way as in the alphabet and as a result gives a long sound.
The main characteristics of the syllable:
- Such a syllable does not have a consonant after the vowel in the syllable. (for example, in words: go, my, no);
- Usually has the letter e at the end of the word, which comes immediately after the vowel (for example, in the words: pie, toe, bye);
- Immediately after the consonant letter has a mute (or unreadable) vowel e. (For example, in the words: name, take, pupil);
- Immediately after the stressed vowel, it has a consonant + le (for example, in the words: table, noble).
The same rule may apply to some monosyllabic words, such as: me, go, she and some others.
There are also exceptions to this rule. It is very important to remember that in words: love, some, done, none, Where — the letter «o» in the first syllable is read in the same way as the short «a».
Conditionally Open
These two types of syllables are sometimes also called semi-closed. They end in «r» or «re». In theory, in this case it will be, respectively, closed and open syllables. In English, everything is not so, and the vowels, being in front of these letter combinations, acquire a new, more complex sound, before «re» some of them even become diphthongs.
In the first case, if we are talking about syllables ending in r, everything will be like this:
— o [ɔ:] — port, short, world;
In the second, if after the vowels there is «re», they will sound differently:
— a [ɛə] — to care, nightmare;
— e [iə] — here, mere;
— u [juə] — cure, sure, pure;
In addition to the fact that open and closed syllables in English, as well as the third and fourth types, affect the reading of certain vowels, there are a huge number of letter combinations that also have a special sound. This knowledge can be obtained both in theory and simply memorize the transcription of words, meeting with them in practice.
Rules for reading English for beginners, table. Intonation and stress in English
At the initial stage of learning English, you inevitably have to deal with the differences between your native language and a foreign one. Reading in English for beginners, children and adults is usually one of the first steps in learning.
And the first such differences between Russian and English are revealed as soon as you start learning to read in English. You are faced with the transcription and reading rules of the English language.
These two concepts are related, since with the help of transcription we can record and read the sounds that vowels and consonants convey in various combinations. But the reading rules explain exactly how the letters are pronounced in different environments.
There are a lot of reading rules in English, and they relate to both vowels and consonants. In addition, a huge number of words are not read according to the rules, that is, they are exceptions. Therefore, it begins to seem that it is extremely difficult to learn all this.
In fact, the rules of reading need to be learned, but there is no need to memorize them. After doing a few exercises on reading rules, you will already know how exactly the same type of words are read.
In the learning process, when you read and listen to a variety of study materials, the spelling, pronunciation and meaning of new words will be memorized as a whole.
Features of English pronunciation
At first, reading in English for beginners presents some difficulties due to the peculiarities of pronunciation — words are very often pronounced differently than they are spelled. Linguists even have a saying — «We write — Manchester, we pronounce — Liverpool.»
This situation is due to the fact that historically in the English language there existed, and there are still many dialects in which the same letters and letter combinations were read in different ways, which eventually became entrenched in official English. An example is the combination of letters ough.
The words though, through, thought differ by only one letter, and the combination of letters ough is read differently in all words.
The role of transcription in teaching English reading
So, as we have already said, in addition to the numerous rules for reading in English, difficulties arise when mastering the transcription of the English language. Transcription is the recording of speech sounds using special characters.
You should not avoid it, as it is the best assistant in learning a language, which, firstly, will save you time when memorizing new words, and secondly, it will help to avoid mistakes in pronunciation. After all, when you write out or memorize new words, you definitely need to know how they are read correctly.
There are two options for how to do this. The first is to listen to it in some online resource, and the second is to watch the transcription.
Now in some tutorials, as well as on training sites, you can find «English transcription in Russian». It is believed that writing an English word in Russian letters is much easier than learning some incomprehensible phonetic symbols. In fact, this is a delusion.
English phonetics differs from Russian so much that Russian letters can only approximately convey the pronunciation of English words, and mostly the simplest ones, the reading of which even without this kind of «transcription» is not difficult.
Some English sounds in Russian simply do not exist, and the correct pronunciation of English and Russian sounds similar at first glance may have certain differences.
Therefore, we recommend that you take the time to study transcription icons and read sounds. This is one of the basic knowledge in mastering the rules of reading English for beginners. Knowledge of transcription will serve you faithfully at all stages of your learning.
We analyze the rules for reading English
There are different classifications of the rules for reading consonants and vowels in English. For vowels, as a rule, there are 4 types of syllables. These are the 4 types of environment a vowel can find itself in and which affects its pronunciation.
Some textbooks consider only the first two types of syllables — open and closed, but take into account whether the letter r is involved in these types of syllables — since it affects the reading of vowels. Consonants in different combinations can also be read differently.
I must say that the number of exceptions and variants of reading the same letter combinations in different words give reason to consider the reading rules rather general recommendations that should be studied before starting to read.
To familiarize yourself with the rules of reading in English, we suggest that you take as a basis the tables with options for reading letters, which are given in his textbook for children “English. 1-4 grades in diagrams and tables «N.Vakulenko.
These English reading rules for children cover almost every possible reading of vowels and consonants in English.
But before we go directly to the tables, we will deal with two more concepts that you will surely come across when you get acquainted with the reading rules. it open и closed syllable.
The syllable is called openWhen
- ends in a vowel and is the last in a word
- the vowel is followed by a consonant and then a vowel again
- the vowel is followed by another vowel
Examples of words with an open type of syllable (you can listen with sound):
age, blue, bye, fly, go
The syllable is called closedWhen
- ends in a consonant and is the last in a word
- the vowel is followed by several consonants
Examples of words with a closed type of syllable:
bed, big, box, hungry, stand
So, let’s formulate the rules for reading English for beginners: tables for reading vowels and consonants.
Vowel reading tables
A | |
A [ei] — in an open syllable | lake, make |
A [æ] — in a closed syllable | rat, map |
A [a:] — in a closed syllable on r | car, bar |
A [εə] — at the end of a word vowel + re | care, fare |
A [ɔ:] — combinations all, au | all, tall |
O | |
O [əu] — in an open syllable | no, home |
O [ɒ] — in a closed stressed syllable | lot, boss |
O [ɜ:] — in some words with «wor» | word, work |
O [ɔ:] — in a closed syllable with r | horse, door |
O [u:] — in combination «oo» | too, food |
O [u] — in combination «oo» | good look |
O [aʊ] — in combination «ow» in the stressed syllable | Now, CLOWN |
O [ɔɪ] — in combination «oy» | boy, joy |
U | |
U [yu:], [yu] — in an open syllable | blue, duty |
U [ʌ] — in a closed syllable | butter, cup |
U [u] — in a closed syllable | put, bull |
U [ɜ:] — in combination «ur» | Purse, hurt |
E | |
E [i:] — in an open syllable, a combination of «ee», «ea» | he, meet, leaf |
E [e] — in a closed syllable, combination «ead» | head, bread |
E [ɜ:] — in combinations «er», «ear» | her, pearl |
E [ɪə] — in ear combinations | near, dear |
I | |
i [aɪ] — in an open syllable | nice, fine |
i [aɪ] — in combination «igh» | high, night |
i [ɪ] — in a closed syllable | big, in |
i [ɜ:] — in combination «ir» | bird girl |
i [aɪə] — in combination «ire» | hire, tired |
Y | |
Y [aɪ] — at the end of a word under stress | my cry |
Y [ɪ] — at the end of a word without stress | happy family |
Y [j] — at the beginning of a word | yes, yellow |
Consonant reading tables
С | |
C [s] — before i, e, y | Place, Cinema |
C [tʃ] — in combinations ch, tch | children, catch |
C [k] — in other cases | cat, picnic |
Source: https://lim-english.com/posts/pravila-chteniya-angliiskogo-yazika-dlya-nachinaushih/
Vowel reading rules in English
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Today let’s talk about rules for reading vowels in Englishyou need to know in order to successfully master both the oral and written aspects.
First, let’s review the English alphabet and do it using a nursery rhyme. I think rap style fans will especially like it! It is great if you add some of the typical movements that are typical of this style of music during your performance.
Alphabet song
AA, B, C, D, E
stand up and look at me.
F, G, H, I, J
I play football every day.
K, L, M, N, O
I Cake of All.
P, Q, R, S, T
Hey people, listen to me.
U, V, W, X, Y, Z
The alphabet is in my head!
recording: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or higher) is required to play this audio recording. Download the latest version here. In addition, JavaScript must be enabled in your browser.
As you may have noticed, in the English alphabet 26 letters: 6 vowels и 20 consonants.
They form 44 sound: 20 vowels and 24 consonants.
Vowel sounds are divided into:
- short [i], [e], [ɔ], [u], [ʌ], [æ], [ǝ]
- long [i:], [ɜ:], [ɔ:], [u:], [a:]
- diphthongs [ei], [ai], [ɔi], [iǝ], [ǝu], [au], [ɛǝ], [aiǝ], [auǝ]
The difficulty is that vowels are read differently, depending on which syllable the vowel occurs in.
It is generally accepted that in English there is 4 types of syllables.
Let’s analyze each of them, noting the characteristic features.
French Alphabet
I type of syllable (vowel + consonant + vowel):
open, vowel reads like this, how is shecalled in the alphabet… We consider only the striking position.
In words like bake, smile, Rope, tube— final «e» not pronounced, it is called dumb (mute buttonletter).
Monosyllabic words like we, go, hi, my are also of the first type.
Samples
a[ei] — name, face, cake, make, bake, take, mistake, lake, snake, lazy, crazy, nature, cage, potato
e [i:] — Egypt, Greece, tree, free, three, street, green, sleep, meter, fever, emu, lemur, he, she, we
i [ai] — five, nine,, ride a bike, drive, smile, time, nice, kite, diving, pine, spider, tiger, white
o [ǝu] — nose, rose, home, hope, rope, stone, sofa, notebook, October, composer, phone, model
u [ju:] — Pupil, Student, Tulip, Computer, Cucumber, Excuse, Music, Cuba, Future, Huge, Tube, Blue
y [ai] — why, sky, cry, spy, dry, fly, butterfly, my, shy, type, style, to rely on, July, xylophone by
IIsyllable type (vowel + consonant + consonant):
closed, vowel readable briefly. We consider only the striking position. The lexical meaning of the word depends on the length and brevity of the pronunciation of the sound in English. For example, take words like sheep (I type of syllable [ʃi: p]) and ship (II type of syllable [ʃip]).
Correct
There is a sheep On the meadow.
There is a ship in the sea
Incorrect
There is a ship On the meadow.
There is a sheep in the sea
(The poor lamb got it!)
Samples
a [æ] — black, happy, cabbage, carrot, rabbit, daddy, granny, gallery, Africa, hand, cap, cat, map
e [e] — red, December, letter, kettle, pen, pencil, desk, address, left, cherry, chess, egg, hen, ten
i [i] — Pink, Six, Fifty, Little, Big, Pig, Spring, Winter, King, Finger, Kitchen, Milk, Fish, Children
o [ɔ] — golden, fox, dolphin, dog, hospital, doctor, bottle, box, clock, hobby, coffee, concert
u[ʌ] — summer, butter, hundred, number, brush, duck, club, jump, lunch, plum, mushroom, cup
y [i] — gym, gymnastics, lynx, myth, mystery, symbol, symphony, symptom, syllable, system
IIIsyllable type (vowel + r + consonant):
vowel is read long… Long sounds are indicated by two dots «:» to the right of the sound sign. We consider only the striking position.
Letter «r« in this type of syllable is not pronounced.
Monosyllabic words like jar, bar, here , sir, fur are also of the third type.
Samples
ar [a:] — farmer, garden, party, car, scar, bar, barber, marmalade, shark, garlic, parsley, starling
er [ɜ:] — Advertisement, Person, Perfect, University, To Prefer, Dessert, Germany, Term, Interpreter
ir [ɜ:] — bird, girl, the first, the third, thirteen, thirty, birthday, shirt, T-shirt, circus, skirt, sir, fir
or [ɔ:] — pork, orchard, orchestra, order, orchid, (un) fortunately, divorce, enormous, immortal
ur [ɜ:] — curl (y), curds, curtain, to disturb, purple, Thursday, turnip, windsurfing, surface, hurt
yr [ɜ:] — martyr (martyr), myrrh (myrrh), Kyrgyz, Kyrgyzstan
IVsyllable type (vowel + r + vowel):
reading like diphthongs. Diphthongs are combinations of two vowel sounds, the first of which is pronounced more energetically than the second. We consider only the striking position. In some words, the letter «r» is not pronounced, while in others it makes the sound [r].
Samples
are [ɛǝ] — parents, care, rarely, various, to compare, scarecrow, canary, malaria, square, share
ere [iǝ] — Here, Imperial, Serious, Mysterious, Nigeria, Serial, Sincere, Zero, Hero, Cereal, Interfere
ire [aiǝ] — tired, retired, to admire, desire, Ireland, iron, environment, requirement, biro, virus
or [ɔ:] — Ore, Store, Snore, Score, Bore, BORING, Shore, To IGNORE, To Explore, Story, Storey, Glory
ure [juǝ] — pure, cure, curable, incurable, during, Europe, euro, curious, mural (fresco), security
yre [aiǝ] — lyre (lyre), tire (US — tire tire), tyrant (tyrant), papyrus (papyrus)
Important! Research shows that total 30% words English can be read using the rules above; rest 70% words — historically developed vocabulary. Therefore, I strongly recommend actively using dictionaries in the process of learning English.
I think the article is about rules for reading vowels in English will be useful for those who plan to take the exam in English. In the oral part of the exam there is a task in which you need to read the proposed passage of text (1.5 minutes), observing all the rules for reading vowels and consonants.
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Source: http://smashtrash.ru/pravila-chteniya/pravila-chteniya-glasnykh-v-angliyskom-ya.html
Types of syllables in English in a nutshell
Hello dear friends! Today I will tell you about the types of syllables in English. Some readers will now close the article and say that they do not want to go deep into language learning. There is no need to rush. Only at first glance it seems that the British read completely differently from the way they write. In fact, there is logic everywhere. Knowing it will help you learn to read with confidence. So let’s figure it out.
Why do you need transcription?
Many people no longer teach it at school and you do not have to memorize these incomprehensible symbols, but there is one secret. It is important to learn how to divide into syllables.
The rule is:
If there is a consonant behind a stressed vowel (except for r), then we give it to the next unstressed vowel, as in the word stu / dent. Pronounced u more clearly. The stress falls on it. Therefore, d goes to the second part. If there are two or more consonants after the stressed, the first one takes the stressed part of the word, and the second one is unstressed (pat / tern).
Doubt? Open the dictionary. The upper comma in the transcription indicates stress.
Open and shut
Now you need to know how to determine the type of syllable. Many of you learned in school, but few will say for sure what an open syllable means. This is the one that ends in a vowel.
Would you like to visit Oxford? Learning a language is the first step to this trip.
Examples: he, go, me. His rule is to read the vowel as it is pronounced in the alphabet.
«Why, then, does cave read like cave?» — you ask, — «this contradicts the above!». Such syllables are called conditionally open. In them, the dumb e conventionally indicates this. More examples: late, fine.
Having learned the open type of syllable, you probably thought about the fact that there is an opposite to it — a closed syllable. And you are right. It ends with one or more consonants. The vowel in this case is read short, as in shut, cat, pen.
Why is the letter r special?
Because she does not obey general rules, but dictates her own. In the third type, it stands after the letter under stress and makes it long. Pay attention to fur (fёёё), fork (fook), serve (syёёv). Syllable type 4 is similar to type 3, but there is still an e after the r. As in care, mere, more.
Let’s put all the information in the table:
Now you are convinced that it is easy to read English words. It takes desire and practice.
Therefore, I recommend subscribing to my blog and reading other articles. You will also receive as a gift, completely free of charge, an excellent basic phrasebook in three languages, English, German and French. Its main plus is that there is Russian transcription, therefore, even without knowing the language, you can easily master colloquial phrases.
And the most interested readers can enroll in courses taught by a native speaker. All dialogues and texts are voiced by English speakers. This will allow you to learn the correct pronunciation and remove the language barrier, as well as travel around England, meet the locals, visit museums and the most interesting places!
I was with you, Natalia Glukhova, I wish you a good day!
Source: https://vivaeurope.ru/languages/english/gramatika/tipi-slogov
Open syllable in English. The importance of stress in a word
Learning any foreign language is based on grammar and phonetics. Clear rules of English grammar are usually not difficult to understand and apply. The rules of phonetics, on the other hand, become an obstacle to achieving good pronunciation. A closed and open syllable in English, stressed and unstressed position of vowels, a special combination of letters — these are the basics of the rules for the pronunciation of sounds in the English language.
Dividing a word into syllables
Before you learn all the phonetic rules, you should learn to determine where to use which. If you want to correctly read an English unfamiliar word by applying the pronunciation rules, there are two things to keep in mind:
- Correct word stress. All rules are separated: for reading stressed vowels and for reading unstressed and neutral vowels.
- Determine the type of syllables. In total, there are four types of syllables: two basic and two conventional. The sound of the vowel in it depends on whether it is a closed or open syllable in English.
The rules for dividing English words into syllables:
- The division of a word into syllables begins at the end of the word. As a rule, each subsequent syllable begins with a consonant and most often comes after a vowel.
- Mute sounds, unpronounceable vowels, are not included in the transcription and do not participate in dividing the word into syllables.
- Different syllables can include doubled consonants and a combination of two consonants (if they do not produce the same sound).
- Separate syllables in a word can be prefixes and suffixes.
- The temporary ending -ed is an independent syllable only with the full pronunciation of «e», if it is dumb, then this ending is not a syllable.
- The gerund ending -ing is a syllable in its own right.
- in complex words written with a hyphen, it is worth dividing each component part into syllables separately.
The easiest way to determine the number of syllables in English words is with the palm under the chin. When reading a word in transcription, try to carefully pronounce each sound, while the chin will touch your hand as many times as there are syllables in the word.
Open and conditionally open syllable in English
The concept of an open syllable in English and our languages is the same: a syllable that ends in a vowel sound is open.
Studying the phonetics of modern English, they attach importance only to stressed syllables, since in a neutral position vowels are either pronounced with neutral sounds, or are generally dumb.
In addition to the concept of a closed and open syllable in English, there are also paired open and paired closed syllables (conditionally open and conditionally closed).
For vowels in a conditionally open syllable, the rules that are intended for open syllables do not apply. A feature of the conditionally open syllable is that after it (stressed vowel) follows the letter «r» with a dumb «e». In this case, when pronouncing vowels, you just need to add the sound [ə] to the alphabetical name of the letter.
In its pure form, this rule is fulfilled:
- «I» — [aıə];
- «U» — [(j) ʊə];
- «Y» — [aıə].
examples:
- pure [pjʊə] — pure;
- fire [faıə] — fire;
- tire [taıə] — tire.
Two letters shorten the sound:
examples:
- care [keə] — care;
- here [hıə] — here.
And only one letter gives a long vowel sound:
Example: more [mɔ:] — more.
Exception: are [a:] and were [wз:] — verb forms.
Definition of stressed syllable
English is a free-stress language. With the correct pronunciation of words similar in sound and, accordingly, when writing a transcription, the main and secondary stresses are of great importance.
Difficulties often arise in determining the word stress in English words.
Basic stress rules in English words:
- Determine the presence of prefixes and suffixes, since prefixes shift the stress to the root, and individual suffixes indicate the stressed syllable by their presence.
- The suffixes that always appear after the stressed syllable are -ion, -ious, -ial, -ian, -iant, -iance, -ient, -ience and -ic, -ical. Example: republic [rI’pAblIk] — republic.
- The stress retains its position (as in the original word) in derived words, which are formed by adding suffixes: -ly, -ful, -less, -nees, -ism, -ing, -er, -or, — (e) d, — (e) s.
- We determine the actual (pronounced) syllables in the word, since the stress is distributed between them.
- Most of all used English words do not exceed three syllables, therefore:
- Without taking into account the prefix (prefix), the stress in words consisting of 2 syllables falls on the first syllable;
- If a two-syllable word contains a suffix, then the stress falls on the second syllable (counting syllables from right to left).
- In words consisting of 3 or more syllables, the third syllable from the end of the word is stressed.
- In polysyllabic words (more than four syllables), the secondary stress is placed one syllable to the left of the main stress.
Exceptions to the rule are words borrowed from other languages:
- canal [kəˈnæl] — channel;
- diploma [dɪˈpləʊmə] — diploma;
- tobacco [təˈbækəʊ] — tobacco;
- tomato [təˈmɑːtəʊ] — tomato and others.
Pronunciation rules for vowels in a stressed open syllable
For Russian-speaking people, it is especially difficult to understand such a number of vowel sounds with a minimum number of vowels. Vowel sounds are of the following types:
- short vowel sounds;
- long vowel sounds;
- vowel diphthongs (combination of 2 vowels).
After the word is divided into syllables and the main stress is correctly determined, you can read the word, guided by the following rules:
«Basic rule»
In a stressed open syllable, an open vowel is read as in the alphabet:
- «A» — [eı];
- «O» — [əʊ]; Exceptions: «o» — [Λ] after «m», «th», «n» and «v». Examples some, dove, come.
- «U» — [ju:] as [u:] if the letter comes after:
- letters «r»: rude [ru: d] — rough;
- consonant + l: flute [flu: t] — flute;
- hissing sound: June [dʒu: n] — June.
- «E» — [i:], doubling the letter «e» — [i:]. Example: see [si:] — to see. The letter «e» is dumb at the end of a word, except in monosyllables, where it is the only vowel. Example: he [hi:] — he, me [mi:] — I, be [bi:] — to be.
- «I» — [aı]. Exception: «i» — [ı] only in the pronunciation of the verb «to give».
- «Y» — [aı].
Cases when the sounds: «a», «i», «u» end the stressed syllable are not entirely natural for English speech, and this indicates a foreign origin or a contraction of the word.
Example:
Abbreviations:
- flu [flu:] — flu;
- hi [haı] — hello.
«Rule of the third syllable»
The third stressed syllable from the end is always read according to the rules for a closed syllable. This rule is also valid for the fifth, seventh syllables when the secondary stress falls on them. Vowel digraphs are not affected by this rule and are read according to the basic rules of an open syllable.
Only regular training of the speech apparatus in the pronunciation of vowel sounds will help to develop accurate articulation (the position of the speech organs during the pronunciation of vowel sounds) and bring it to automatism. Repeating vowel sounds with a tendency to repeat the reference is the easiest way to develop true English pronunciation.
Article recommended by an expert: Maria Solomatina
Source: https://1hello.ru/grammatika/otkrytyj-slog-v-anglijskom-yazyke.html
What are the syllables in English
The English alphabet has six vowels, but individually and in combination with each other, they form more than two dozen sounds, including diphthongs. The reading of a vowel depends on the letters adjacent to it and on the type of syllable in which it is located.
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Syllable
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Ah, the humble syllable. Such a small part of language, yet syllables make up all the words we say across all languages. So, what are they all about? And how can we identify them?
This article is all about syllables and will give a definition for syllable definition, cover the types of syllables in English, and provide some syllable examples. We’ll also cover syllable division – in other words, how to divide a word into its constituent syllables.
Syllable: definition
Before we dive into the intricacies of syllables, let’s begin with our syllable definition. You might already have a good idea of what a syllable is but just in case:
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that can join other syllables to form longer words or be a word in and of itself. Syllables must contain a singular vowel sound and may or may not have consonants before, after, or surrounding the vowel sound.
To illustrate this, here are some brief examples of what a syllable can look like:
- The indefinite article «a» is a syllable (one vowel sound, with no consonants).
- The word «oven» has two syllables because it has two vowel sounds – «ov» /-ʌv/ + «en» /-ən/ (each of these syllables includes a vowel sound and a consonant).
- Many words consist of only one syllable, such as «run,» «fruit,» «bath,» and «large.» Each of these comprises a combination of one vowel sound and various consonants.
Fig 1. Whenever we speak, we use syllables.
Types of syllables in English
Since you’re an English Language student, we’ll be focusing on the types of syllables in English rather than looking at syllables on a more global level.
There are six key types of syllables in English:
-
Closed syllable: syllables that end in a consonant and have a short vowel sound (e.g., In «picture,» the first syllable, «pic» /pɪk/ ends in a consonant, and the /ɪ/ sound is short).
-
Open syllable: syllables that end in a vowel and have a long vowel sound (e.g., In «zero,» the last syllable «ro» /roʊ/ ends with the vowel sound /oʊ/, which is long).
-
Vowel-consonant-e syllable: syllables that end with a long vowel, a consonant, and a silent -e (e.g., «Fate» is a one-syllable word which ends with a long -a /eɪ/, a consonant (t), and a silent -e).
-
Diphthong (vowel team) syllable: syllables that include two consecutive vowels making a singular sound (e.g., in «shouting,» the first syllable «shout» (ʃaʊt) includes an -o and a -u together that makes one sound — the diphthong /aʊ/).
-
R-controlled syllable: syllables that end in at least one vowel followed by -r (e.g., In the name Peter, the end syllable «er» /ər/ consists of an -e followed by an -r.)
R-controlled syllables are specific to rhotic accents, that is, accents where the -r is pronounced wherever it appears. In Standard American English, the -r at the end of r-controlled syllables is a rhotic /r/, which means it is more pronounced than the non-rhotic /r/ of Standard British English.
In Standard British English, the -r at the end of most words and syllables ending in -r would make a schwa sound (ə) instead of a strong, rhotic /r/ sound. Therefore, non-rhotic British English (and other non-rhotic accents) does not include r-controlled syllables.
There are some British accents that are rhotic, however, such as the Cornish and Devon accents, and there are a couple of American accents which are non-rhotic, such as the Chicago or Upstate New York accents.
-
Consonant-le syllable: syllables that end with a consonant followed by -le (e.g., In «syllable,» the last syllable «ble» /bəl/ ends with the consonant -b followed by -le.)
Each of these syllable types follows the rule of having a singular vowel sound and either no consonants or a range of consonants before, after, or surrounding the vowel sound.
Syllable: examples
An example of a syllable is the word ‘hello’, which has two syllables: «hel» and «lo». To ensure each of these syllable types is cemented in our minds, let’s look at a few more syllable examples for each type:
Closed Syllables
- cat (/kæt/)
- napkin – nap(/næp/) + kin (/kɪn/)
- spin (/spɪn/)
- doughnut – dough + nut (/nʌt/)
In all of these examples, the underlined syllables end with a consonant and have a short vowel sound.
This is generally the first kind of syllable that children are taught to read; many early reading words follow the consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern («cat,» «mat,» «pin,» «dip,» «dog,» etc.)
Open Syllables
- go (/goʊ/)
- sky (/skaɪ/)
- we (/wi/)
- mosquito – mos + qui + to (/toʊ/)
In all of these examples, the underlined syllables end in a vowel that has a long vowel sound.
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllables
- plate (/pleɪt/)
- tame (/teɪm/)
- mite (/maɪt/)
- bone (/boʊn/)
In all of these examples, the syllables underlined consist of a vowel, followed by a consonant, followed by a silent (or «magic») -e. The -e in each syllable elongates the sound of the vowels.
Diphthong Syllables
- sky (skaɪ)
- trail (/treɪl/)
- spoiled — spoi (/spɔɪ/) + led
In all of these examples, the underlined syllables include two vowels together that make a singular vowel sound.
R-Controlled Syllables
- fir (/fɜːr/)
- burr (/bɜːr/
- plumber – plumb + er (/ər/)
- corridor – cor + ri + dor (/dər/)
In all of these examples, the underlined syllables are made up of a vowel followed by an — r. To reiterate, r-controlled syllables are specific to rhotic accents. Non-rhotic accents do not have r-controlled syllables.
Consonant-le Syllables
- turtle — tur + tle (/təl/)
- hurdle — hur + dle (/dəl/)
- maple — ma + ple (/pəl/)
In all of these examples, the underlined syllables are formed by placing -le after a consonant.
Fig 2. Every syllable must have one vowel sound and can have a variety of consonants
Syllable division
If you aren’t used to doing it, syllable division can sometimes be a bit tricky. What do we mean by ‘syllable division’?
Syllable division simply refers to the process of dividing a word into its constituent syllables.
There are several ways to divide words into syllables, and these ways depend on the composition of the word. There are seven rules you can learn to make syllable division easier.
Syllable rules
The seven syllable rules mentioned above are as follows:
-
A syllable can only have one vowel sound. Using this logic, you can divide words into syllables by looking at the vowel sounds.
Vowels and vowel sounds are two different things.
- a vowel is one of the letters: a, e, i, o, u (and sometimes y)
- a vowel sound is the sound made by the vowel or vowels in a word
The number of vowels in a word does not always equal the number of vowel sounds. For instance, words with a silent «-e,» such as «rate» have two vowels (a and e) but only one vowel sound (eɪ).
The word «plant» only has one vowel sound, so the word itself is only one syllable. The word «coriander,» however, has four vowel sounds and is therefore divided into four syllables – «co» + «ri» + «an» + «der,» where each syllable has a vowel sound.
-
Dividing between two of the same consonant. If a word has two of the same consonant (e.g., «mopping»), you can divide the word into syllables between them (e.g., «mopping» becomes «mop» + «ping»). For this rule to work, the double consonant must have a vowel on either side. In the «mopping» example, there is an «-o» on one side of the double -p and an «-i» on the other.
-
Divide according to the length of the vowel sound. Some vowel sounds are short, some are long, and some words include both. You can figure out where to divide a word into syllables depending on the kind of vowel sounds in that word.
If the first vowel sound in a word is long, then the divide should come after the first vowel. For instance, in the word «deepen,» the first vowel sound is the long -e, so the division into syllables would look like: «dee» + «pen.» In this case, the middle consonant becomes attached to the second vowel sound.
If the first vowel sound in a word is short, then the divide should come before the second vowel sound in the word. In the word «figure,» the first vowel sound is the short -i, so the division into syllables would look like: «fig» + «ure». In this case, the middle consonant attaches to the first vowel sound.
-
Divide between two vowels if they make different sounds. If a word has two vowels next to each other that produce two different sounds, then you should divide between these two vowels (e.g., «diet» becomes «di» + «et», and «diaspora» becomes «di» + «as» + «por» + «a»).
-
Affixes become separate syllables. If a word has been inflected to include a prefix, suffix, or both, then these affixes become their own syllables (e.g., «endless» becomes «end» + «less» and «reread» becomes «re» + «read»).
-
Compound words are always divided between the two words. If a word is made up of two or more other words, then there should be syllable divisions between them.
«Cupcake»: «cup» + «cake»
«Something»: «some» + «thing»
«Sunflower»: «sun» + «flow» + «er» (here, «flower» is split into two syllables because it includes two different vowel sounds — ˈflaʊ + ər ).
-
Divide before consonant-le structures. If a word ends with a consonant followed by -le, then you should divide the word before the consonant preceding the -le (e.g., «needle» becomes «nee» + «dle» and «turtle» becomes «tur» + «tle»).
By following these seven rules, you should be able to identify where a word should be divided into syllables.
Fig 3. «Tyrannosaurus Rex» has six syllables! Typically, the longer the word, the more syllables it has.
Names with two syllables
For a bit of fun, we’ll end this article by looking at some names with two syllables.
This table shows the two-syllable names and how they can be divided into their constituent syllables in IPA (international phonetic alphabet).
Name | Syllables |
Harvey | -hɑr + -vi |
Shannon | -ʃæ + -nən |
Michael | -maɪ + -kəl |
Gertrude | -gɜr + -trud |
Sarah | -sɛ + -rə |
Syllable — Key takeaways
- A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that can either be its own word or can come together with other syllables to make longer words.
- Each syllable can only have one vowel sound in it and may or may not have a variety of consonants around the vowel sound.
- There are six key types of syllables in English: closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, diphthong, r-controlled, and consonant-le.
- Syllable division refers to how words are broken down into their constituent syllables.
- There are seven rules for syllable division.
Frequently Asked Questions about Syllable
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that can either come together with other syllables to form longer words or be a word in and of itself. Syllables contain a singular vowel sound and may or may not have consonants before, after, or surrounding the vowel sound.
An example of a syllable is the word «English». The syllables are «Eng» and «lish».
There are six types of syllables in English, and knowing these types can help you to identify them in a word. They are:
- open
- closed
- vowel-consonant-e
- diphthong
- r-controlled
- consonant-le
Once you understand what each of the syllable types consists of, you can identify these types in words.
These are some examples of two-syllable words:
- English: Eng + lish
- exact: ex + act
- mother: mo + ther
- classroom: class + room
- begin: be + gin
There are seven rules of syllable division which are as follows:
- A syllable can only have one vowel sound.
- Dividing between two of the same consonant.
- Divide according to the length of the vowel sound.
- Divide between two vowels if they make different sounds.
- Affixes become separate syllables.
- Compound words are always divided between the two words.
- Divide before consonant-le structures.
Every syllable needs to include one vowel sound. Syllables can either be a vowel on their own, or can have consonants attached to the vowel sound.
Final Syllable Quiz
Syllable Quiz — Teste dein Wissen
Question
Briefly describe what a syllable is.
Show answer
Answer
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that can either come together with other syllables to form longer words, or it can be a word in and of itself. Syllables contain a singular vowel sound and may or may not have consonants before, after, or surrounding the vowel sound.
Show question
Question
True or false, a syllable can have more than one vowel sound in it.
Show answer
Question
True or false, syllables can sometimes include consonants, but don’t always.
Show answer
Question
List the six kinds of syllable in English.
Show answer
Answer
- closed
- open
- vowel-consonant-e
- diphthong
- r-controlled
- consonant-le
Show question
Question
How many syllable division rules are there in English?
Show answer
Question
What is «syllable division»?
Show answer
Answer
When a word is divided into its constituent syllables.
Show question
Question
Using this rule, divide the word «pineapple» into syllables:
A syllable can only have one vowel sound.
Show answer
Question
Using this rule, divide the word «rabbit» into syllables:
Dividing between two of the same consonant.
Show answer
Question
Using this rule, divide the word «feature» into syllables:
Divide according to the length of the vowel sound.
Show answer
Question
Using this rule, divide the word «dieting» into syllables:
Divide between two vowels if they make different sounds.
Show answer
Question
True or false, affixes become their own syllables.
Show answer
Question
Where should you divide a compound word during syllable division?
Show answer
Answer
Compound words should always be divided between their constituent words, as well as following the other syllable division rules.
Show question
Question
Which of these words has the most syllables?
Show answer
Question
Divide the word «plumber» into syllables.
Show answer
Question
Briefly describe each of the six syllable types.
Show answer
Answer
-
Closed syllable: syllables that end in a consonant and have a short vowel sound
-
Open syllable: syllables that end in a vowel and have a long vowel sound
-
Vowel-consonant-e syllable: syllables that end with a long vowel, a consonant, and a silent -e
-
Diphthong (vowel team) syllable: syllables that include two consecutive vowels making a singular sound
-
R-controlled syllable: syllables that end in at least one vowel followed by -r
-
Consonant-le syllable: syllables that end with a consonant followed by -le
Show question
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A syllable is a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word. For example, there are two syllables in the word ‘water’ and three in ‘inferno’. Sometimes syllables are referred to as the ‘beats’ of spoken language and teachers often teach children to identify syllables by clapping the ‘beats’ in words.
There are seven types of syllables in English. Those are given below.
- Closed syllable.
- Open syllable.
- Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe) / Magic e syllable.
- Vowel Team syllable.
- Diphthong syllable.
- Vowel-r (r-controlled) syllable.
- Consonant-le (C-le) syllable.
Let’s explore each of them with some example words.
1. Closed Syllable
A syllable with a short vowel, spelt with a single vowel letter ending in one or more consonants is called closed syllable.
Examples of Closed Syllable Words
Cat | Rabbit | Dapple | Hostel |
Enlist | Contest | Beverage | Falcon |
Problem | Cobweb | Himself | Lobby |
Dentist | Trumpet | Sudden | Goblet |
Habit | Cabin | Visit | Admit |
Boston | Magnet | Napkin | Kidnap |
Mental | Sunset | Invent | Flatten |
Pencil | Basket | Absent | Publish |
Knapsack | Jungle | Lapdog | Combat |
Kitten | Contrast | Subject | Mishap |
Distant | Helmut | Pumpkin | Velvet |
2. Open Syllable
A syllable that ends with a long vowel sound, spelled with a single vowel letter is called open syllable.
Examples of Open Syllable Words
Vacant | Naval | Propel | Lady |
Virus | Crazy | Ivy | Baby |
Navy | July | Photo | Ego |
Truly | Icy | Holy | Pony |
Polo | Tidy | Veto | Zero |
Pupil | Motor | Cobalt | Silo |
Future | Social | Major | Tiny |
Behind | Nobody | Locate | Duty |
Recent | Program | Nature | Bonus |
Tiger | Table | Favor | Cradle |
Paper | Fever | Spider | Pilot |
3. Vowel-Consonant-e (VCe) / Magic e Syllable
A syllable with a long vowel, spelled with one vowel + one consonant + silent e is called vowel-consonant-e syllable. It is also called magic e syllable. Let’s have a look at some examples:
Blade | Trade | Age | Bake |
Crusade | Wade | Cage | Brake |
Fade | Massive | Choke | Cake |
Glade | Give | Image | Drake |
Grade | Active | Page | Fake |
Jade | Captive | Rage | Flake |
Made | Expensive | Sage | Jake |
Shade | Have | Stage | Lake |
Spade | Olive | Usage | Make |
Tirade | Reptile | Wage | Quake |
4. Vowel Team Syllable
A syllable containing two letters that together make one vowel sound is called vowel team syllable. Let’s look at some examples:
Snow | Reindeer | Shroud | Empowered |
Flew | Retie | Follower | Mouthful |
Neither | Pouf | Fiefdom | Boat |
Piece | Towel | Deceitful | Key |
Neutered | Ceiling | Eulogy | Load |
How | Pie | Monkey | Honey |
About | Eighty | Souk | Valley |
Neigh | Fewer | Reigning | Room |
Shadow | Retriever | Dewdrop | Easy |
Uncouth | Pewter | Fiend | Cream |
5. Diphthong Syllable
A syllable containing two vowels in which a new vowel sound is formed by the combination of both vowel sounds is called diphthong syllable. Following are some examples of Diphthong syllable words:
Boil | Toy | Straw | Took |
Throw | Grow | Launch | Good |
Igloo | Shout | Owl | Slouch |
Drool | Crowd | Loud | Outing |
Soup | Youth | Bound | Blown |
Decoy | Raw | Crown | Down |
Glue | Awful | Cruiser | August |
Point | Cool | Royal | Hawk |
Crawl | House | Broom | Tooth |
Bruise | Draw | Boost | Fruit |
6. Vowel-r (r-controlled) Syllable
A syllable in which the vowel is followed by the single letter ‘r’ is called vowel-r (r-controlled) syllable. The vowel sound is controlled by the letter ‘r’. Following are some examples of r-controlled words:
Park | Aware | Blizzard | Award |
Party | Beware | Dollar | Bird |
Shirk | Care | Haggard | Coward |
Smart | Dare | Hazard | Forward |
Star | Fare | Lanyard | Reward |
Start | Hare | Lizard | Swarm |
Superstar | Her | Mustard | Thwart |
Girl | Mare | Orchard | Toward |
Tar | Shirt | Burn | Turn |
Target | Snare | Vineyard | War |
Yard | Ware | Wizard | Ward |
7. Consonant-le (C-le) Syllable
An unaccented final syllable that contains a consonant before /l/, followed by a silent e is called consonant-le (C-le) syllable. Following are some examples of C+le syllable words:
Apple | Wiggle | Triple | Nestle |
Bottle | Bubble | Riddle | Cable |
Cycle | Hustle | Bundle | Maple |
Fumble | Mumble | Knuckle | Middle |
Bugle | Cradle | Freckle | Ankle |
Gentle | Pickle | Gamble | Castle |
Able | Dimple | Waffle | Mantle |
Idle | Settle | Single | Handle |
Twinkle | Amble | Fable | Puzzle |
Saddle | Bridle | Noble | Whistle |
We have given names to words having specific number of syllables: monosyllabic (1 Syllable), disyllabic (2 Syllable Words), trisyllabic (3 Syllable Words) and pollysyllabic ( for more than one syllable words).
keep exploring EnglishBix to learn about different phonics phases for your kids.
Quick Links
- Stressed and Unstressed Syllables
- Accented and Unaccented Syllables
- Strategies to Teach Syllables
- Schwa Sound Words
Lecture 3.
-
The syllable as the phonological unit.
-
Theories on the syllable division
-
Types and functions of the syllable.
-
Word stress, its nature and functions.
-
Utterance, logical and emphatic stress.
Syllable is the
smallest pronounceable unit which forms language units of greater
magnitud (morphemes, words and phonemes).
The syllable can be considered as the phonetic and phonological unit.
As the phonetic unit the syllable is defined in
articulatory, auditory and acoustic terms.
Acoustically and auditory the syllables are
characteristic by prosodic features:
— the force of the utterance
— the pitch of voice
— sonority
— length
Phonologically the syllable is regarded and
defined in terms of its structural and functional properties. The
term «syllable» denotes smth. taken together.
Phonetic aspect
There are different points of view on syllable
formation.
1. There are as many syllable in a word as
there are vowels.(but in some languages
consonants can be syllabic and it doesn’t explain the boundary of
syllable.)
2. Expiratory
(shest-puls or pressure) theory.
Syllable is a sound or group of the sounds that are pronounced in
one chest-puls . There are as many syllables in a word as there are
chest-pulses made during the word .
The border line between the syllables is a moment of the weaker
expiration (it is quite possible possible to pronounce some syllables
in one articulatory effort).
3. The
relative sonority theory (гучності)
or the prominence theory. It was
created by Danish phonetician O.Jespersen. It is based upon the fact
that each sound was a definite carrying power.
Sounds group themselves according to their
sonority. There are as many syllables as there are peaks of
prominence of sonority.
O.Jespersen classified sounds according to the
degree of sonority. He stayed the scale of sonority of sounds. The
most sonor are vowels. The less sonor are sonorants . The least sonor
consonants are voiced and voiceless.
1. open vowels
2. closed vowels
3. sonorants
4. voiced fricatives
5. voiced plosives
6. voiceless fricatives
7. voiceless plosives
The most sonor sound form the peak of sonority in
a syllable. One peak is separated from another peak by sound of lower
sonority that is consonant.
melt metl s dn
(it doesn’t explain the mechanism )of syllable division and formation
and it doesn’t state to which syllable the less sonorant sound at the
boundary of two words belongs
an aim
a name
summer dresses
some addresses
4. The muscular tension or the articulatory effort theory.
A syllable is characteristic by variations in
muscular tension . The energy of articulation increases at the
beginning of the syllable reaches its maximum within a vowel sound
and decreases towards the end of the syllable.
p l a n t
The syllable is defined as an arc are of artificial tension. The
boundary is determined by lowest articulatory energy. There are as
many syllables as there are max of muscular tension.
Consonants within a syllable are characteristic by
different distribution of muscular tension.
Scherba advanced the theory about 3 types of
consonants :
— finally strong (initially weak) . The end of
the syllable is more energetic. They occur at the beginning of the
syllable /si:/
— cv
— finally weak (initially strong). The beginning
is more energetic, the end is weaker. It occurs at the beginning of
the syllable. /at/
— vc
— double peak. The beginning and the end are
energetic, while the middle is weak. It occurs at the junction of the
words or morphemes: what time /wɒtaɪm/,
unknown /ʌnəʊn/. Acoustically
they produce an effect of 2 consonants.
5. Loudness theory.
It was worked out by N.I.Zhinkin. It took into consideration
Scherba’s statement about peaks. It takes into consideration both
levels production and perception. Syllable is an arc of loudness.
The peak of the syllable is louder and higher in
pitch than the slopes. Zhinkin proved that the organ which is
responsible for the variation of loudness is pharynx . There are as
many syllables in a word as there are arcs of loudness.
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Here are few Five Syllable Words. To understand word stress, we have to understand syllables. Words have one or more syllables. A syllable is a unit of pronunciation. It consists of either a vowel sound alone or a vowel and one or more consonant sounds. Notice that (with a few rare exceptions) every syllable contains at least one vowel (a, e, i, o or u) or vowel sound. Every word is made from syllables. Each word has one, two, three or more syllables.
There are ….
- Assimilation
- Conscientiousness
- Creativity
- Diagnostician
- Electricity
- Humiliation
- Mathematical
- Opportunity
- Popularity
- Similarity
- Incredulity
- Paediatrician
- Perpendicular
- Unbelievable
- University
- Vocabulary
Syllables Index
From Five Syllable Words to HOME PAGE
The syllabic structure in English (Syllabification)
1. Theories on syllable formation and division
Vowels and consonants typically do not act alone; they show a tendency to cluster or group. These smallest phonetic groups are generally given the name of syllables. Being the smallest pronounceable units, syllables form morphemes, words and phrases. Each of these units is characterized by a certain syllabic structure. Thus a meaningful language unit phonetically may be considered from the point of view of syllable formation and syllable division.
A syllable is a minimal unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds, acting as a unit of rhythm. Rhythm in its turn is the perceived regularity of prominent units of speech. It is stated in terms of such patterns as stressed vs. unstressed syllables (English) or short vs. long (Latin). (Rhythm is understood by speakers as the use of stressed syllables which occur at regular intervals in the stream of speech). So a syllable connects sound and rhythmic structures.
A syllable is a complicated phenomenon and like a speech sound it can be studied on four levels — articulatory, acoustic, auditory and functional.
Acoustically and auditory the syllable is characterized by the force of utterance, or accent, pitch of the voice, sonority and length.
Auditory the syllable is the smallest unit of perception: the listener identifies the whole of the syllable and only after that the sounds contained.
The articulotary energy which constitutes the syllable results from the combined action of the power, vibrator, resonator and obstructer mechanism.
Phonologically the syllable is regarded and defined in terms of its structural and functional properties.
The complexity of the phenomenon gave rise to many attempts to identify a syllable and its boundaries.
The most ancient theory states that there are as many syllables in a word as there are vowels. This theory is primitive and insufficient since it does not take into consideration consonants which also can form syllables in some languages, neither does it explain the boundary of syllables.
The so-called expiratory (chest pulse or pressure) theory was suggested by R.H. Stetson. This theory is based on the assumption that expiration in speech is a pulsating process and each syllable should correspond to a single expiration. So the number of syllables in an utterance is determined by the number of expirations made in the production of the utterance. The main objection to the theory is the following: in a phrase a number of words and consequently a number of syllables can be pronounced with a single expiration, e.g. in adjacent syllables when two vowels co-occur (seeing, doing). This fact makes the validity of the theory doubtful. (articulatory approach).
Another theory of a syllable put forward by O. Jespersen is generally called the sonority theory (or prominence theory). According to O. Jespersen, each sound is characterized by a certain degree of sonority which is understood as acoustic property of a sound that determines its perceptibility. According to this sound property a ranking of speech sounds could be established:
<the least sonorous>
voiceless plosives à voiced fricatives àvoiced plosives à voiced fricatives à sonorants à close vowels àopen vowels
<the most sonorous>
Sounds are grouped around the most sonorous ones, which form the peaks of sonority in a syllable. Two points of lower sonority constitute the beginning and the end of one syllable.
Melt & metal: in the first word [e] is the most sonorous sound, the only peak of sonority, it is a one-syllable word. In the word metal there are two peaks of sonority [e,l], it is a two-syllable word. (sudden, пятница). (auditory approach)
According to V.A. Vassilyev the most serious drawback of this theory is that it fails to explain the actual mechanism of syllable formation and syllable division, because it does not state to which syllable the weak sound at the boundary of two syllables belongs. In such words as master, should the syllable division be ma-ster, mas-ter, or mast-er? We are left with this problem, even though in each case the relative sonority of the sounds is the same.
Further experimental work aimed at description of the syllable resulted in lots of other theories. However, the question of articulatory mechanism of syllable is still an open question in phonetics. We might suppose that this mechanism is similar in all languages and could be regarded as phonetic universal.
In Russian linguistics there has been adopted the theory of syllable by LV Shcherba. It is called the theory of muscular tension. In most languages there is the syllabic phoneme in the centre of the syllable which is usually a vowel phoneme or, in some languages, a sonorant. The phonemes preceding or following the syllabic peak are called marginal (slopes). The tenseness of articulation increases within the range of prevocalic consonants and then decreases within the range of postvocalic consonants.
Russian linguist and psychologist N.I. Zhinkin has suggested the so-called loudness theory which seems to combine both production and perception levels. The experiments carried out by N.I. Zhinkin showed that the arc of loudness of perception level is formed due to variations of the volume of the pharyngeal passage which is modified by contractions of its walls. The narrowing of the passage and the increase in muscular tension which results from it reinforce the actual loudness of a vowel thus forming the peak of the syllable. So the syllable is the arc оf loudness which correlates with the arc of articulatory effort on the speed production level since variations in loudness are due to the work of all speech mechanisms. (mistake: It consists of two arcs of loudness in which [m, t] are finally strong consonants and [s, k] are finally weak. [s] constitutes the end of the arc of loudness, [t] constitutes the beginning.)
It is perfectly obvious that no phonetician has succeeded so far in giving an adequate explanation of what the syllable is. The difficulties seem to arise from the various possibilities of approach to the unit. There exist two points of view:
1. Sоme linguists consider the syllable to be a purely articulatory unit which lacks any functional value. This point of view is defended on the ground that the boundaries of syllables do not always coincide with those of morphemes.
2. However the majority of linguists treat the syllable as the smallest pronounceable unit which can reveal some linguistic function.
Trying to define the syllable from the articulatory point of view we may talk about universals. When we mean the functional aspect of the syllable it should be defined with the reference to the structure of one particular language.
The definition of the syllable from the functional point of view tends to single out the following features of the syllable:
a) a syllable is a chain of phonemes of varying length;
b) a syllable is constructed on the basis of contrast of its constituents (which is usually of vowel — consonant type);
c) the nucleus of a syllable is a vowel, the presence of consonants is optional; there are no languages in which vowels are not used as syllable nuclei, however, there are languages in which this function is sometimes performed by consonants;
d) the distribution of phonemes in the syllabic structure follows the rules which are specific enough for a particular language.
2. The structure and functions of syllables in English
Syllable formation in English is based on the phonological opposition vowel — consonant. Vowels are usually syllabic while consonants are not with the exceptions of [l], [m], [n], which become syllabic in a final position proceeded by a noise consonant: bottle [bσtl], bottom [bσtm], button [b/tn] and [r] (in those accents which pronounce [r]) perhaps [præps].
The structure of English syllables can be summarized as follows:
• Many syllables have one or more consonants preceding the nucleus. These make up the syllable onset: me, so, plow.
• Many syllables have one or more consonants, following the nucleus (peak, crest). They make up the syllable coda. They are traditionally known as closed syllables: cat, jump.
• The combination of nucleus and coda has a special significance, making up the rhyme of a syllable.
The English language has developed the closed type of a syllable as the fundamental one while in Russian it is the open type that forms the basis of syllable formation.
The other aspect of this component is syllable division. The problem of syllable division in case of intervocalic consonants and their clusters, like in such words as city, extra, standing and others.
Let us consider the first word [‘sit.i]. There exist two possibilities:
a) the point of syllable division is after the intervocalic consonant:
b) the point of syllable division is inside the consonant.
In both cases the first syllable remains closed because the short vowel should remain checked. The results of instrumental analysis show that the point of syllable division in such words is inside the intervocalic consonant. EPD indicates the point of division after the consonant.
The second case. There are two syllables in the word extra but where should the boundary between them fall?
1) [e — kstrə]. It is unlike that people would opt for a division between [e] and [kstrə] because there are no syllables in English which begin with consonant sequence [kstr].
2) Similarly, a division between [ekstr] and [ə] would be unnatural.
3) [ek — strə], [eks — trə], [ekst — rə] are possible. People usually prefer either of the first two options here, but there is no obvious way of deciding between them.
In some cases we may take into account the morphemic structure of words. For example, standing consists of two syllables; on phonetic grounds [stæn — diŋ). On grammatical grounds [stænd — iŋ].
The syllable as a phonological unit performs three functions: constitutive, distinctive, and identificatory. They are closely connected
The first is the constitutive function. It lies in its ability to be a part of a word itself. The syllables form language units of greater magnitude that is words, morphemes, and utterances. In this respect two things should be emphasized. First, the syllable is the unit within which the relations between distinctive features of phonemes and their acoustic correlates are revealed. Second, within a syllable (or syllables) prosodic characteristics of speech are realized, which form the stress pattern of a word and the intonation structure of an utterance. Thus, the syllable is a specific minimal structure of both segmental and suprasegmental features.
The other function is distinctive one. In this respect the syllable is characterized by its ability to differentiate words and word-forms. The following minimal pair illustrates the word distinctive function in the syllabic: nitrate — night-rate. There are rather many combinations in English distinguished from each other by means of the difference of the place of the syllabic boundary: an aim — a name; an ice house — a nice house, etc. Sometimes the difference in syllable division may be the basic ground for differentiation in such pairs as I saw her rise.- I saw her eyes; I saw the meat — I saw them eat.
The identificatory function is conditioned by the pronunciation of the speaker. The listener can understand the exact meaning of the utterance only if s/he perceives the correct syllabic boundary: pea stalks – peace talks; my train – might rain.
3. Brief Comparison of English and Russian Systems of Syllable Formation and Division.
1) Similar syllabic structural types can be found.
2) In both languages the single intervocal consonant between two phonetic syllables belongs to the next vowel: morning [mo:-niŋ] – мо—ре; cozy [kou-zi]- воляю
3) All consonants may begin the syllable in English with the exception of [ŋ]. In Russian all consonants may begin the syllable.
4) In Russian the initial clusters are more complex (вдрызг). In English the final clusters are more complex (texts, strengths, twelfths).
5) English diphthongs belong to one syllable, triphthongs may be divided into two parts.
The conclusion: Thus, the syllable is a specific minimal structure of both segmental and suprasegmental features. It is a minimal unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds, acting as a unit of rhythm. Rhythm in its turn is the perceived regularity of prominent units of speech. It is stated in terms of such patterns as stressed vs. unstressed syllables (English) or short vs. long (Latin). So a syllable connects sound and rhythmic structures, because rhythm depends upon the alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables. And rhythm is the pivot of such a complex phenomenon as intonation (suprasegmental unit). (Rhythm is understood by speakers as the use of stressed syllables which occur at regular intervals in the stream of speech). So a syllable connects sound and rhythmic structures.