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