Syllable Rules

P/R/S :

• Check word for prefixes / suffixes.
• divide between them.

VC/CV :

• check multiple consonants between vowels.
• divide between them.
• if word has 1C . between vowels, decide vowel (long - short).

V/CV :

• if vowel (long).
• divide after vowel.
• leaving an open syllable.
• ex: fa / vor.

VC/V :

• if vowel (short).
• divide after consonant.
• leaving a closed syllable.
• ex: hon / ey.

Types of Supra-segmental

Sequential:

• Found as elements in sequences of other such elements occurring one after another. (never simultaneously).
• These are: a)pre-heads, heads, tonic syllable, tails. (with their possibilities).           b)pauses.          c)tone-unit boundaries.

Prosodic:

• these components are characteristics of speech, which are constantly present and observable while speech is going on. as:      a)width of pitch range.(used when excited or enthusiastic)        b)loudness.                      c)voice quality.(personal background characteristics that make one's voice different from another).  it is the auditory result of different types of vocal fold vibration, better name is {phonation type}.            d) key. e)speed. 

Para-linguistic:

• facial expressions.
• body language.
• gestures.
• it could not be regarded as components of speech. but it is relevant to the act of speaking.

Tone Unit

Tone Unit:
a small no. of particularly prominent syllables, in its smallest form may consist of only 1 syllable.

Tonic syllable:
a syllable which carries a tone.

Tonic Stress:
stress carried by the tonic syllable. some writers use terms (nucleus) and (nuclear stress) for the syllable / stress.

Speech----> no. of utterances ----> 1/more tone unit ----> 1/more feet ---(each)--> 1/more syllable ---(each)--->1/more phonemes.

Structure of Tone Unit: (PH - H - TS - T)

1. Head: all of that part of a tone-unit that extends from 1st stressed syllable up to tonic syllable. (not including TS). if there is no stressed syllable before the tonic syllable, there cannot be a head.
2. Pre-head: composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone-unit preceding the 1st stressed syllable. found in 2 main environments: a)there is no head {ex: in an hour}. b)there is a head {ex: in a little less than an hour}.
3. Tail: syllables follow the tonic syllable. any syllables between tonic syllable and the end of the tone-unit.

Note:

• Tone-units are some times separated by silent pauses and sometimes not, pause type boundaries marked by(ll), non pause boundaries by (l).
• Tone is carried by the tonic-syllable.
• Intonation is carried by tone-unit.
• Tonic syllable is where the pitch movement of tone begins, but that pitch movement is  completed over the rest of the tone-unit (tail).

Source: Peter Roach book for phonetics and phonology 

The Syllable

Word (1 Syllable):

•     is never divided.

•     has one or more letters, but one vowel sound.

•     is produced by single voice impulse.

•     Example: (beat) .

Word Compound:

•     is divided between the words that make it.

•     Example: (cow / boy  -   sun / set).

VIP:

•     (be - de - ex - re): in the beginning make a syllable of their own.

•     Vowel sounded alone : forms a syllable itself. Example (grad / u / ate).

•     Number of vowel sounds = number of syllables.

•     The word is divided between the affix and the root. Example (melt / ed - dis / turb).

Diagraphs:

•     2 Consonants make a single sound.

•     can't be divided.

•     (Ch - sh - th - wh - ng - nk - ck ......).

•     Example: (buck / le  -  noth / ing  -  cash / ier).

 Closed syllable:

•     Ends with Consonant.

•     Short vowel or Shwa.

Open Syllable:

•     Ends with a Vowel.

•     Generally Long.

 Minimum Syllable:

•     a single Vowel in isolation.

•     proceeded and followed by silence.

•     Example: (are  -  or).

Consonant Cluster:

•     2 or more Consonants together.

•     Example: ( inspect ) -- ( 3 consonants).

 Syllabic Consonant:

•     Syllable contains no vowel at all, consists entirely of consonants.

•     it occures after another consonant.

•     Example: (bottle - muddle).

•     most obvious in words ending with 1 or more consonants, followed by (le). Example: (cattle - couple - bottling - struggle).

•      Followed by (al - el), Example: (panel - pedal - parcel).

•     Syllabic (n) is most common after alveolar plosives, bilabial and fricatives. Example: (eaten).

Vowels

Vowels:

Sounds in which there is no obstruction to the flow of air as it passes from the larynx to the lips.

Vowels differ from each other (Shape and Position of the Tongue):

• first, the vertical distance between the upper surface of the tongue and the palate.
• second, the part of the tongue , between front and back, which is raised highest.

 

 

 

 

Some Examples for the Vowel Sounds:

Cardinal Vowels:

a set of vowels arranges in a close-open, front-back diagram. they are a standard reference system.

Consonants

Examples of Consonant Sounds:

Manner of Articulation for Consonant Sounds:

Production of speech sounds

Velum (Soft Palate):
Allows air to pass through the nose and through the mouth.
often in speech it is raised so that air cannot escape through the nose.
can be touched by the tongue.

Hard Palate:

"roof of the mouth"

Tongue:

very important articulator, it can be moved into many different places and different shapes.
Parts of the tongue ( tip, blade, front, back, root )

 Lips:
can have different shapes and positions:

• Rounded: the corners of the lips are brought towards each other and the lips pushed forwards.
• Spread: the corners of the lips moved away from each other, as for a smile.
• Neutral: the lips are not noticeably rounded or spread.