Syllables

Identify syllables
bat
pretty
umbrella
opportunity
 The nature of the syllable
Syllables can be defined both phonetically and
phonologically.

Phonetically, it is related to the way we

produce them and the way they sound.

Phonologically, it involves the possible

combinations of English phonemes.
Syllables can be
defined
phonetically
Before the after the
centre,
there will
be greater
bat centre, there
will be greater
obstruction to
obstruction airflow and less
to airflow loud sound

Centre / /

has little or no obstruction to airflow and

sounds comparatively loud
 The nature of the syllable

• Phonetically, syllables are usually

described as consisting of a centre which
has little or no obstruction to airflow and
which sounds comparatively loud; before
and after this centre, there will be greater
obstruction to airflow and/ or less loud
sound.
phonologically, syllables
involves the possible
combinations of English
phonemes
How many possible
combinations of
English phonemes
in a syllable?
 1. Minimum syllable
• Some syllables are composed of a
single vowel in isolation, which is
called : MINIMUM SYLLABLE

• A vowel stands as the centre of the

syllable, preceded and followed by
silence are /a:/, or / :/, err / :/
 2.
Onset + Centre
• Some syllables have an onset,
which is made up of one or more
consonants preceding the centre
of the syllable:

bar /ba:/, key /ki:/, more

/m :/
 3.
Centre + Coda
• Some syllables may have no onset
but have a coda , which end with
one or more consonants.

am / m/, ought / :t/, ease

/i:z/
 4.
Onset + Centre + Coda
• Some syllables have both
onset and coda.

ran /r n/, sat /s t/, fill

/f l/
 Components of a syllable

Syllable

ONSET
RHYME
(optional)

CENTRE CODA
CONSONANT
(obligatory) (optional)
 Components of a syllable with EXAMPLE

Syllable
BAT /bæt/

ONSET RHYME
/b/ /æt/

CONSONANT CENTRE CODA

/b/ /æ/ (optional)
/t/
Identify the onset in the following syllables

• /s :t/ - seat
• /def/ - deaf
• /t :/ - tea
• /sp :k/ - speak
• /l s/ - loss
Hint– Consonant(s) that begins the syllable
is ONSET.
 Identify the CENTRE (NUCLEUS)
• /st :l/ - steal
• /pet/ - pet
• /k f/ - cough
• /slæk/- slack
Hint– Centre (Nucleus) is the VOWEL.
Nucleus is MANDATORY.
 Find the coda.

• /ri:d/ -read
• /ski:/- ski
• /θred/ - thread
• /θri:/ - three
• /spred/ - spread
• /ki:/ -key
 The nature of the syllable
• Phonologically, syllables can be
looked at two positions: the initial
position and the final position.

• In other words, what can occur at

the beginning of a word? How does a
word end?
 - What can occur at the beginning of
a syllable?

 at, peak, pray, string

Vowel ( V) 3 consonants (CCC)

1 consonants (C)
2 consonants (CC)
 - What can occur at the end of a syllable?
1 consonant (C)
A vowel (V) 2 consonants (CC)

key /ki:/, at / t/, act / kt/,

text /tekst/, twelfths /twelf /

3 consonants (CCC)

4 consonants (CCCC)
• Syllables in a word can begin with a vowel,
or with up to three consonants.

at, peak, pray, string

• Syllables in a word can end with a vowel,
or with up to four consonants.

key, at, act, past, fixed ,twelfths

 Syllabic Structure
CCC V CCCC or C 0-3 V C 0-4
No. of Consonants

• Beginning of a syllable (ONSET) 0–3

• Middle of a syllable
(NUCLEUS- only one vowel) 1

• End of a syllable (CODA) 0-4

 Types of Syllables
Structure E.g.
•V I /a /
• VC all /ɔ:l/
• CVC girl /gɜ:l/
• CCCV straw /strɔ:/
• CCCVCC sprained /spre nd/
• CVCCCC tempts /tempts/
 Analysis of syllabic structures

• Play • Debt • Text

• Tray • Spring • Texts
• Splay • Hour • Ewes
• Squeak • Thinks • Ought
• State • Month • Cramped
• Eighth • Splashed • through
 Structure of the English syllables
Examination of syllable onsets
• - If the syllable of the word begins with a vowel –
this syllable has a zero onset.
- attention, employ, agree, important
• - If the syllable begins with one consonant, that
initial consonant may be any consonant
phoneme except , is rare.
- the, men, song, far, need, love, by, me…
 Syllable onsets

• - When a syllable begins with

two consonants – they are
called a consonant cluster.
Syllable onset (2 consonants)
Pre – initial consonant s

sting, sway, smoke

Initial consonant
 Table 2 – Two – consonant clusters
with pre-initial s
• Pre-initial s followed by
Initial

p t k b d g f s h v z m n

Spin stik skin sfi - - - - - - - - - smel

sn -
 Initial Consonant

/ple /,try
/tr /,quick/kwik/,few/fju:/
Post - Initial Consonant( l, r, w, j)
 Table 3: Two-consonant clusters with
post-initial l, r, j, w
Initial
Post l Pt k b d g f s h v z m n
initial r l r w j
w
j Plei – klei bl k - glu: flai - slip - - - - - - - - - - -
Prei trei krai bri drip grin frai r ru- -
--
-Twin kwik - dwel - - w : t swim - - - - - -
-
-pj : tju:n kju: bju: ti dju: fju: sju: - hju:
d vju: mju: nju: z lju: d - - -
 Post - initial

Pre - Initial l r w j
initial
s p splay spray - spew
- string - stew
t sclerosis screen squeak skewer
k

Pre – initial s + Initial Consonant + Post – initial

Consonant
( l, r, w, j)
Identify and name the onset structure

• Cry • Stay
• School • Glimpse
• Bring • Splash
• Drip • Squares
1.pay, play, plane, plate, rain, train, late, paint,
eight
2.See/sea, tea, feet, seat, three, free, tree, street, eat
3.So, low, no/know, slow, soap, slope, nose/knows
4.Lie, fight, right, light, flight
1.I don’t like travelling by _ _ ane.
2.The sky’s _ _ ue today.
3.What would you like to _ _ ink?
4.Is it the _ _ elfth today?
5.Is this seat _ _ ee?
6.It’s five o’ _ _ ock.
7.How many languages can you _ _ eak?
8.Don’t sit on that dirty _ _ oor.
1.Bread Pass me some bread
2.Price What’s the price?
3.Bless (sneeze) Bless you!
4.Class How many are there in your class?
5.Glass Where are my glasses?
6.Cream Do you like ice cream?
7.Quiet Isn’t it quiet?
8.Spell How do you spell it?
9.Stand Where shall I stand?
10.Swim Can you swim?
11.Stranger I’m a stranger here.
12.Stress a job with a lot of stress
 Final consonant clusters

• If there is no final consonant, there is

a zero coda.

•  go /g /

•  see /s :/
 Final consonant cluster
• When there is one consonant only, this is
called the final consonant

That / t/

Thus / s/

• Any consonant may be a final consonant,

except h, w, j
• Final two-consonant preceded by a pre-
final consonant (m, n, , l, s)

Example: bump, bent, bank, belt, ask

Pre-final consonant (m, n, , l, s) +

Final consonant
• Final two-consonants followed by a post-
final consonant ( s, z, t, d, )

- Example: bets, beds, backed,

bagged, eighth

Final consonant + Post – final

consonant (s, z, t, d , )
 Final three-consonant cluster
• 1. pre-final + final + post-final
Pre-final Final Post-
final

helped he l p t
banks b k s
bonds bo n d z
twelfth twe l f
 Final three-consonant cluster
2. final + post-final 1 + post-final 2
Pre- Final Post – Post-
final Final final 2
1
fifths fi - f s
next ne - k s t
lapsed l - p s t
 Final four – consonant cluster

• 1. Pre-final + Final + Post –final 1 + Post –final 2

Pre-final final post-final 1 post-final 2

twelfths twe l f s
prompts pro m p t s
 Four consonant clusters
Pre-final + Final + Post-final 1 + Post – final 2 +
Post – final 3

Pre-final final post-final 1 post-final 2 post-final 3

Sixths Si - k s s
texts te - k s t s
Listen and circle the word you hear.
1. Cold colder 6. old older
2. Cold colder 7. sent centre
3. Dance dancer 8. sent centre
4. Dance dancer 9. fast faster
5. Old older 10. fast faster
• Exercise 1: Using C for consonant and V
for vowel, represent the syllable
structure of each of the words below.
• debt month exempts
• fifths glimpsed thinks
squares springs splashed