II. Syllable formation.

If a syllable is a sequence of sounds, then one sound is usually in stronger position and is better heard. This sound is called syllabic. Syllabic sounds in English language are vowels (monophthongs and diphthongs) and sonants. Thus, syllable formation in English is based on the opposition vowels\consonant. Consonants are not syllabic.

A sonant becomes syllabic if it is preceded by a noise consonant. Syllabic sonants are considered to be – [l], [n], and less often [m].

In the following words sonants are syllabic: [sΛdn], [dΛznt], [rΛ∫n]. And in the following words they are not syllabic: [sænd], [dəunt du].

If the word is pronounced with a neutral sound before a sonant, the latter loses its syllabic function: as in words [sΛdən],[RΛ∫ən].

In the English language sonants w and j are never syllabic. It may be explained by their position in a word (usually initial).

Each syllable has its own, certain structure which depends on a sound that occurs in the final position. The syllable is an operational in all languages; it is a universal phenomenon, even though the specific rules for syllable structure in each language vary in accordance with the phonotactic rules of the language.

Structures of a syllable can vary due to the amount and the arrangement of consonants. Taking this into account we may differentiate two basic types of a syllable: open and closed. The first ends with a vowel sound like in the words writer, he, they; and the second ends with the consonant as in words it, without, hundred. There is an overall tendency towards open syllables. No known language has only closed syllables. The most ‘basic’ for human language is CV structure, where C – is a consonant and V – is a vowel.

In English there are distinguished 4 basic types of syllables. If we take C – for a consonant and V – for a vowel, the structure of a syllable can be displayed in a plenty of combinations.

- completely open syllables consisting only from one vowel - V ([o:],[ai])

- completely closed syllables CVC, CVCC, CCVC: bІt, left, pleis;

- the syllables covered at the beginning: CV (nəu), CCV, CCCV - too, spy, straw, note.

- the syllables covered at the end: VC, VCC, VCCC - on, act, acts, oh, oak.

Thus, all types of syllables can be united in one scheme in the following way - (C) V (C) where brackets show optional presence of a consonant.

Speaking about the structure of the English syllable, it is necessary to mention, that the one deals with the phonetic syllables, i.e. with the syllables consisting of actual sounds of speech. And we should not confuse them with the open and closed syllables, used in the rules of reading.

Also it is necessary to note, that in the English language the basis type of a syllable is a closed one. (while in Russian open) The amount of consonants in prevocalic positions, i.e. in a position preceding the vowel, can reach 3, and in a postvocalic position, i.e. after a vowel - 5. The number of syllable varieties is 23. The number of syllables in the English word may vary from 1 to 8. For example,

Come, city, family, simplicity, unnaturally, incompatibility, unintelligibility.

Every language has its own ways of syllable formation but still there are some universal things.

The first one is that the sequences of segments are syllabified in accordance with a sonority scale.

The second universal principle of syllabification concerns polysyllabic words and is referred to as principle of Maximal Onset: more consonants are clustered at the onset position than in coda. Most languages prefer filled rather than empty onsets, in a polysyllabic word consonants at the syllable boundary are more likely to be attached to the following syllable.