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SYLLABIFICATION

SYLLABIFICATION. Syllabification depends not on mere force, but on discontinuity of force. Strong and weak syllables. What is meant by ´strong´ and ´weak´? Phonetic characteristics of a weak syllable: vowel is shorter, of lower intensity and different in quality, e.g. /´fa: ðə /, /b פּ t l /

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SYLLABIFICATION

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  1. SYLLABIFICATION Syllabification depends not on mere force, but on discontinuity of force.

  2. Strong and weak syllables • What is meant by ´strong´ and ´weak´? • Phonetic characteristics of a weak syllable: vowel is shorter, of lower intensity and different in quality, e.g. /´fa:ðə/, /bפּtl/ • The 2nd syllable in /´fa:ðə/ is weak, shorter than the 1st, less loud,with the vowel that cannot occur in strong syllables • The 2nd syllable in /bפּtl/ is weak, contains no vowel at all, consists only of syllabic consonant /l/.

  3. Stress is important in deciding whether a syllable is weak or strong: strong syllables – stressed, weak - unstressed • Elision is a closely related subject (police) • The difference is also important when considering intonation

  4. But, what we know so far : strong syllables have as its peak one of the vowel phonemes / a triphthong, but not /ə,ı,υ/ • If the vowel is short, there will always be a coda • Weak syllables can have one of a small number of possible peaks. At the end of a word, there may be a weak syllable ending in a vowel (no coda or with coda): • the schwa vowel (e.g. /´betə/, /´əυpən/) • A close front unrounded vowel /i:/ or / ı/ (e.g. /´hæpı/ • A close back rounded vowel /u:/ or / υ / (e.g. /´θæŋk,jυ/

  5. Inside the word • The vowels mentioned can act as peaks without a coda in weak syllables: • e.g. /´fəυtəgra:f/ • /´a:kıtekt/

  6. The /ə/ vowel • Always associated with weak syllables • Quality: mid, central, lax • Spelt as: - ´a´ (attend) – strong pron. /æ/ - ´ar´(particular) – strong /a:/ - ´ate´(intimate) – except ´private´ - ´o´(potato) - ´or´(forget) - ´e´(violet) - ´er´(perhaps) - ´u´(support) - ´ough´(thorough) - ´ou´(gracious)

  7. Close front & close back vowels • In strong syllables long and short vowels are easily distinguished, but in weak .. ??? • They are longer if they precede another vowel, less so if they precede a cons. or pause • No possibility of phonemic cotrasts between long and short in these contexts; thus, the two distinctions which exist within strong syllables are neutralised in weak syllables of BBC/RP It is possible to symbolise the weak vowel by omitting the length mark

  8. Where are these vowels found? • Word-final position: ´happy´ • Morpheme-final position: ´happier´ • Prefix ´re´,´pre´,´de´ + vowel: ´react´ • Suffix ´iate´,´ious´ when two-syllabic: ´appreciate´, ´hilarious´ • In ´he´,´she´,´we´,´me´,´be´ when unstressed, and in ´the´ preceding a vowel • Otherwise, it is closer to and transcribed as´/ı/

  9. Syllabic consonants • A syllabic consonant is a consonant which either forms a syllable of its own, or is the nucleus of a syllable. The diacritic for this in the International Phonetic Alphabet is the under-stroke,  / ̩ /. • A liquid /l,r/ or a nasal /m,n/ stands as the peak of a syllable instead of a vowel

  10. Syllabic /l/ • Occurs after another consonant, usually alveolar (e.g. bottle, tunnel, muddle) • There is a lateral release after the sides of the tongue are lowered to allow air to escape • Where is it found in BBC accent? • One or more cons. + ´le´ (cattle, wrestle) • One or more cons. + ´al´, ´el´(panel, pedal)

  11. Syllabic /n/ • A syllable: plosive + fricative + /әn/ are common in initial position only (canary) • In final and medial positions → syllabic /n/ (threaten, threatening/ • In case /t,d/ + /n/ - plosive nasally released • In case /l,t∫,dζ/ + /n/ - there is /ә/ in between (sullen) • In case bilabial + /n/ - both acceptable (happen, ribbon) • In case velar + /n/ - both acceptable (waken) • In case /f,v/ + /n/ - syllabic /n/ more common than /әn/ except initially (often, seven) • In case nasal + plosive+/n/ - normally /ә/ will be found in the last syllable (London, Camden,abandon)

  12. Syllabic /m,ŋ/ • Due to processes such as assimilation and elision (happen, uppermost) both acceptable • Syllabic velar nasal /ŋ/: thicken, but both are possible; ´broken key´- syllabic velar possible between two velar /k/, but /әn/ or /n/ are also welcome

  13. Syllabic /r/ • Common in rhotic accents, e.g. American pronunciation of ´particular´ • Less common in the BBC accent, can be substituted by pronunciations without it • A few minimal pairs: ´Hungary´and ´hungry´ • Still, there are no cases where it could not be substituted by non-syllabic /r/ or /әr/

  14. Combinations of syllabic cons. • Not unusual to find two syllabic cons. together: national, literal, veteran, visionary • Usually a matter of arbitrary choice in transcrption

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