Syllables and Segments

Syllables and Segments

Words can be cut up into units called syllables. Humans seem to need syllables as a way of segmenting the stream of speech and giving it a rhythm of strong and weak beats, as we hear in music. Syllables don't serve any meaning-signalling function in language; they exist only to make speech easier for the brain to process. A word contains at least one syllable.

Most speakers of English have no trouble dividing a word up into its component syllables. Sometimes how a particular word is divided might vary from one individual to another, but a division is always easy and always possible. Here are some words divided into their component syllables (a period is used to mark the end of a syllable):

tomato = to.ma.to 
window = win.dow 
supercalifragilistic expialidocious: su.per.ca.li.fra.gi.lis.ti.cex.pi.a.li.do.cious (some people might put some of the periods in different places in this word).

Syllables have internal structure: they can be divided into parts. The parts are onset and rhyme; within the rhyme we find the nucleus and coda. Not all syllables have all parts; the smallest possible syllable contains a nucleus only. A syllable may or may not have an onset and a coda.

Onset: the beginning sounds of the syllable; the ones preceding the nucleus. These are always consonants in English. The nucleus is a vowel in most cases, although the consonants [ r ], [ l ], [ m ], [ n ], and the velar nasal (the 'ng' sound) can also be the nucleus of a syllable. In the following words, the onset is in bold; the rest underlined.

read 
flop 
strap

If a word contains more than one syllable, each syllable will have the usual syllable parts:

win.dow 
to.ma.to 
pre.pos.te.rous 
fun.da.men.tal

Rhyme (or rime): the rest of the syllable, after the onset (the underlined portions of the words above). The rhyme can also be divided up:

Rhyme = nucleus + coda

The nucleus, as the term suggests, is the core or essential part of a syllable. A nucleus must be present in order for a syllable to be present. Syllable nuclei are most often highly 'sonorant' or resonant sounds, that can be relatively loud and carry a clear pitch level. In English and most other languages, most syllable nuclei are vowels. In English, in certain cases, the liquids [ l r ] and nasals [ m n ] and the velar nasal usually spelled 'ng' can also be syllable nuclei.

"Y" and "W" as a Consonant and a Vowel

The letter "y" sometimes substitutes for "i" and is a vowel when it does so. Likewise, the vowel "w" sometimes substitutes for "u" and is considered a vowel when it does so. However, "y" sometimes appears as the only vowel in a syllable, such as in gym and why, whereas "w" never appears all by itself. When "w" acts as a vowel, it always follows "a" (as in paw), "e" (as in new), or "o" (as in grow). Sometimes at the end of a word the letter "w" is silent such as cow. Here the "o" sounds /aʊ/.

"Y" as a consonant and a vowel

Sometimes, the letter "y" is a consonant, and other times it is a vowel. The rule for telling the two apart is simple: The letter "y" is a consonant when it is the first letter of a syllable that has more than one letter. If "y" is anywhere else in the syllable, it is a vowel.

. /ɪ/ English
Group 1: y+consonant+(consonant) gym, symbol
Group 2: y (final) lady

/j/ 
Group 1: (Consonant) vine•yard

/i/
Group 1: (Vowel) ba•by

/ɪ/
Group 1: (Vowel) gym

/aɪ/
Group 1: Diphthong sound(Vowel) sky

"W" as a consonant and a vowel

Sometimes, the letter "w" is a consonant, and other times it is a vowel. The rule for telling the two apart is simple: The letter "w" is vowel when it's part of the second vowel in a double vowel.

/w/ wet
Group 1: (Consonant) wet

/u:/
Group 1: (Vowel) news

/Ø/ (Silent Vowel)
Group 1: (Silent Vowel) saw

Top of Form

Segments: a segment is a speech sound such as [ m ] or [ i ]. Speech sounds are made by putting several features together. [ m ], for example, is created by vibrating the vocal cords (feature: voiced), closing the mouth at the lips (feature: bilabial), and lowering the soft palate so that air can escape through the nose (feature: nasal). These three gestures occur simultaneously. The result is a voiced bilabial nasal, [ m ]. Thus, segments are units that are built up from features; features are the building blocks for segments.

Segments: a segment is a speech sound such as [ m ] or [ i ]. Speech sounds are made by putting several features together. [ m ], for example, is created by vibrating the vocal cords (feature: voiced), closing the mouth at the lips (feature: bilabial), and lowering the soft palate so that air can escape through the nose (feature: nasal). These three gestures occur simultaneously. The result is a voiced bilabial nasal, [ m ]. Thus, segments are units that are built up from features; features are the building blocks for segments.