The Syllable

Syllables
Words consist of a Consonant followed by a Vowel.
Distortion of adult speech by children is common and
typical.
However, this distortion obeys certain unwritten and
unconscious laws.
These laws govern the way segments are abstractly
connected in clusters known as Syllables.
Segments that are not consistent with these laws are
not pronounced.
The Core Syllable
The core syllable is made up of a Nucleus
preceded by an Onset:


O(nset) N(ucleus)

C V

The Core Syllable
Some languages only have CV syllables.
More commonly, languages allow for syllables
of greater complexity.
The core syllable is, however, found in every
language.
The fact that CV syllables are cross-
linguistically attested offers an interesting
parallel with their invariable occurrence in
early child language.
Sonority and the Syllable
What motivates the CV configuration?
Some sounds are more sonorous than
others.
Vowels have more sonority than
consonants.
Therefore, sonority goes up from the
onset to the nucleus.
The Coda
Syllable structure can be considerably richer
than CV.
The segmental string that makes up a word like
/gO4/ captain does not fit into the
core syllables template.


O N O N

g O 4
The Coda
Segments that are not affiliated to a
syllable fail to be pronounced.
Syllables act as licensers of phonetic
material.
Therefore, /p/ and /n/ must be part of a
syllable, as both are pronounced in the
English word captain.
The Coda
Syllable structure in English admits more
segmental material than the core syllable.
This is licensed through the Coda.



O N Cd O N Cd

g O 4
The Rime
Consider the following:
A B C
[O4] pat [O4] pat [O4] pat
[p4] bat [O] pan [O4] pit
[g4] cat [O-] pad [OC4] pot
[4] fat [Og] pack
[O4] put
The three groups exhibit the same amount of phonetic
overlap: [4] in A, [O] in B, and [O 4] in C.
However, ONLY the ones in group A rhyme with each
other.
The Rime
Rhyming is not just a matter of overlap.
The overlap must affect a certain position within the syllable:
N + Cd.
The nucleus and the coda group together in a constituent called
Rime (R):


O R

N Cd

O 4
Basic Syllable Typology
The nucleus is essential to the syllable.
Onsets and codas are optional.
So, the basic syllable types are:
ON ONCd NCd N
The core syllable template can undergo a number of changes:
- delete the onset ON N
C / _____ V
CV V

- insert a coda ON ONCd
C / V _____
CV CVC

- delete the onset ON NCd
and insert a coda C / _____ V
C / V _____
CV VC
Complexity
The core syllable CV is the simplest.
- No operations
The VC is the most complex.
- Both operations (deletion & insertion)
The V and CVC have intermediate
complexity.
- One operation (deletion OR insertion)
Complexity


O N N Cd O N Cd N

) = 4 ) +

he is teeth are
Complexity
Children acquire simpler syllable types before
the more complex ones.
The presence of a more complex type in any
one language presupposes the presence of its
simpler counterpart(s).
Syllable-related historical change tends to go in
the direction of greater syllable simplicity.
In languages with a rich range of syllable
patterns, simpler syllables are more frequent in
syllable inventories and in language use.
Complex Nuclei
Consider the following:


O R O R

N Cd N Cd

p ) 4 p 4
The two words have the same syllable structure
(ONCd).
However, do they fit the same syllable template (CVC)?
Complex Nuclei
Syllable structure is built on the timing tier, not on the melody
tier:


O R O R O R

N Cd N Cd N Cd

x x x x x x x x x x x

p ) 4 p 4 p C
4
beat bit bite
CV:C CVC CVVC
Complex Onsets
To accommodate words like flag, glad, dress, and the like, the
representation must allow for onsets with two timing slots:


O R

N Cd

x x x x

_
flag
CCVC
More on Sonority
A syllable is made up of a segment of
high sonority flanked by segments of
lower sonority.
A syllable is a Cluster of Sonority, defined
by a sonority peak.
And, speech is a sequence of such
sonority clusters.
Branching Onsets in English
Bi-consonantal Onset Clusters:
wO+ plain wOE+ pray
wp+ bless wpE+ bread
w+ fly wE+ frame
w+E+ three
w4E+ tree
w-E+ dream
w+ sleep
weE+ shrub
wg+ clean wgE+ cream
w_+ glass w_E+ green
Branching Onsets in English
The first timing slot is filled with an
obstruent.
The second timing slot is filled with a
liquid.
The opposite order is never attested.
Why?
Conditioned Templates
The obstruent + liquid clusters can be
formalized by imposing it into syllable
templates:


O R

N
Ob Lq
Sonority Hierarchy
A more plausible account, however, is offered by the
Sonority Hierarchy:
4 Vowels Most Sonorous
3 Liquids
2 Nasals
1 Obstruents Least Sonorous
The Syllable Sonority Profile:
i - rises
ii - reaches a peak
iii - falls
Sonority Hierarchy
[sli:p]
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
s l i: p
Sonority
Sonority Hierarchy
*[lsi:p]
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
l s i: p
Sonority
Sonority Sequencing
The sonority profile of the syllable is
regulated by a universal principle:
The Sonority Sequencing
The sonority profile of the syllable must
rise until it peaks, and then fall.
So, an onset such as ls, the converse of
existing sl, would violate the Sonority
Sequencing Principle.
Gaps
Although they are consistent with the
Sonority Sequencing, (stop + fricative) or
(stop + nasal) clusters do not occur in
English onsets.
Is their absence from English arbitrary?
Sonority Distance
Sonority Distance may vary:
(stop + fricative) 1 - 1 = 0
(stop + nasal) 2 - 1 = 1
(stop + liquid) 3 - 1 = 2
In many languages, the segments of complex subsyllabic
constituents need to satisfy a minimum of sonority distance.
This requirement is formalized through the Minimal Sonority
Distance parameter.
For English, this parameter is set as follows:
Minimal Sonority Distance in English Onsets
The minimal sonority distance between the two elements of an
English complex onset is 2.
Summing up
Syllables are abstract structures which cannot themselves be
pronounced.
Childrens utterances consist principally of CV syllables.
There are no languages where CV syllables are not attested.
Syllable structure is richer than the core syllable.
Syllable complexity can be measured against the optimal CV
configuration.
Syllable structure is built on the timing tier.
The distribution of vowels and consonants within a syllable is a
consequence of sonority differences between these two classes of
sounds.
The constraints on possible branching onsets in English are also
explained by the principle of Sonority Sequencing and the Minimal
Sonority Distance.