2. Types of Syllables.

Words can be divided in writing according to their syllable structure, e.g. un-kind-li-ness. They can also be divided according to their meaning, e.g. spot-light.

In English a syllable can be formed by a vowel (V), by a vowel and a consonant (VC), by a consonant and a sonorant (CS).

V-type of syllable called uncovered open,

VC-type of syllable called uncovered closed,

CVC-type of syllable called covered closed,

CV –type of syllable called covered open.

G.P.Torsuyev suggests a differentiation of the following types of syllabic structures:

V-type – fully open,

CVC-type – fully closed,

CV-type – initially covered,

VC-type – finally covered.

We can talk about the following varieties of types of syllables in the English language:

V-type – oh,

CVC-type – pit,

CVCC-type – fact,

CVCCC-type - lapsed,

CCVC-type - plan,

CCCVC-type – spleen,

CCVCC-type – twist,

CCVCCC-type – stamps,

CVCCC-type – texts,

CV-type – dew,

CCV-type – spy,

CCCV-type – straw,

VC-type – eat,

VCC-type – act,

VCCC-type – asks.

The sonorants [w,r,j] function as consonants, because they occur only before vowels: SVC structural type, e.g.: with, write, yes.

The sonorants [l, m,n] can form syllables in terminal position, when preceded by a noise consonant, e.g.: people, garden, often, nation.

The structural patterns of syllables formed by sonorants with a preceding consonant in English are similar to V+C pattern.

3. Syllable Formation and Syllable Division.

There are different points of view on syllable formation, which are briefly the following:

1. The Egyptian 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 syllable.

2. The expiratory theory states that there are as many syllables in a word as there are expiration pulses. The borderline between the syllables is, according to this theory, the moment of the weakest expiration. This theory is inconsistent because it is quite possible to pronounce several syllables in one articulatory effort or expiration, e.g. seeing.

3. The sonority theory states that there are as many syllables in a word as there are peaks of prominence or sonority.

O.Jespersen established the scale of sonority of sounds, that is, the scale of their inherent prominence. According to this scale the most sonorous are back vowels (low, mid, high), then go semi-vowels and sonorants, then – voiced and voiceless consonants.

Scale of Sonority

1. low vowels 5. sonorants

2. mid vowels 6. voiced constructive consonants

3. high vowels 7. voiced plosive consonants

4. semi-vowels 8. voiceless constructive consonants and affricates

9. voiceless plosive consonants

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.

Compare melt and 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/ and /i/, it is a two-syllable word.

A syllable can be defined as a phonetic unit, which is pronounced by one articulatory effort accompanied by one muscular contraction, which results acoustically and auditorily in one uninterrupted arc of loudness.

The experiments carried out by N.Zhinkin showed that it is the pharynx, which is responsible for the variations in the loudness of the syllable. Perceptually the peak, or the crest of the syllable, is louder and higher in pitch than the slopes.

On the acoustic level it is characterized by a higher intensity than the slopes, and in many cases by a higher fundamental frequency.

None of the theories mentioned above are reliable in the definition of the syllabic boundary.

Electroacoustic analysis makes it possible to formulate the following rules of syllable division in English:

1. In affixal words the syllabic boundary coincides with the morphological boundary: dis-place, be-come, un-able, count-less.

2. In words with CVC structure the syllabic boundary is after the long accented vowel: far-mer;

3. In words of CVCV structure the syllabic boundary is within the intervocal consonant, which terminates the short accented syllabic: cit-y, pit-y.

4. In words of CVSVS structure the syllabic boundary is within the intervocal sonorant: cin-e-ma, en-e-my.

5. English diphthongs are unisyllabic, they consist of one vowel phoneme, English triphthongs are disyllabic, because they consist of two vowel phonemes: science, flower.

Syllables in writing are called syllabographs and are closely connected with the morphemic structure of words.

Words can be divided in writing according to their syllabic structure, e.g. un-kind-li-ness. They can also be divided according to their meaning, e.g. spot-light.

There are 5 rules to help with dividing a word in writing:

1. Never divide a word of one syllable;

2. Never divide an ending (a suffix) of two syllables such as –able, -ably, -fully;

3. With the exception of –ly, never divide a word so that an ending of two letters such as –ed, -er, -ic begins the next line;

4. Never divide a word so that one of the parts is a single letter;

5. Never divide a word of less than five letters.