The syllable as a phonological unit performs three functions: constitutive, distinctive, identificatory. They are closely connected.
1. Constitutive Function
Syllables constitute words, phrases and sentences through the combination of their prosodic features: loudness stress, pitch tone, duration length and tempo. Syllables may be stressed, unstressed,, high, mid, low, rising, falling, long, short. All these prosodic features constitute the stress pattern of words, tonal and rhythmic structure of an utterance, help to perform distinctive variations on the syllabic level.
2. Distinctive and Differentiator^ Function
If we compare the words: lightening and lightning , we may observe that their syllabicity is the only minimal, distinctive feature: /Uaitfltn vs. Uaitnm/.
It is an example of the word-distinctive function of the syllabicity of /n/.
There are rather many combinations in English distinguished from each other by means of the difference in the place ol the syllabic boundary: a namean aim, ice cream / scream, we loan we'll own: /ataeim//an leim/, /iais'kri:m//ai iskrhm/, /wi- Uaun/,/wil isun/.
The distinctive, differentiator function of the syllabic boundary makes it possible to introduce the term "juncture". Close juncture or conjuncture occurs between sounds within one syllable, e.g. a name, I scream: in the first example the close juncture is between In! and /ei/, in the second between /s/ and /k/. Open juncture, disjuncture, or internal open juncture occurs between two syllables. If we mark open juncture with /-f / then in our examples it will occur between a +mme, I + scream. American scientists H. A. Gleason, L. S. Har-
ris and K. Pike consider the open juncture a separate segmental phoneme. They include /+/ into the inventory of phonemes as a separate differentiatory unit.
3. Identificatory Function
This function is conditioned by the pronunciation of the speaker. The listener can understand the exact meaning of the utterance only if he perceives the correct syllabic boundary "syllabodisjuncture", e.g. pea stalks peace talks ; my train might rain .
The existence of such pairs demands special attention to teaching not only the correct pronunciation of sounds but also the observation of the correct place for syllabodisjuncture.
GRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SYLLABLE
The auditory image of a syllable can be shown in transcription: unknown /1-1/, liner /Uai-/, maker /imet-/. Parts of orthographic and phonetic syllables do not always coincide. E. g.
Word Phonetic syllables Orthographic syllables
(Syllabographs)
| table | /Itei-bl/ | ta-ble |
| laden | /Uei-dn/ | la-den |
| Spanish | /fspga-nij/ | Span-ish |
It is very important to observe correct syllable division when necessity arises to divide a word in writing. Division of words into syllables in writing (syllabographs) is based on morphological principles. The morphological principle of word division in orthography demands that the part of a word, which is separated, should be either a prefix, or a suffix, or a root (morphograph): un-divided, utter-ance, pun-ishs be-fore.
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However, if there are two or three consonants before -ing, these consonants may be separated in writing, e. g. gras-ping, puz-zling.
Words can be divided in writing according to their syllabic structure, e. g. un-kind'U-ness. They can also be divided according to their meaning, e.g. spot-light.
There are six rules to help with dividing a word in writing:
1) Never divide a word within a syllable.
2) Never divide an ending (a suffix) of two syllables such as -able,
-ably, -fully.
3) With the exception of -ly, never divide a word so that an end
ing of two letters such as -ed, -er, -ic begins the next line.
4) Never divide a word so that one of the parts is a single letter.
5) Never divide a word of one syllable.
6) Never divide a word of less than five letters.1
If we compare the system of syllable division and syllable forma-
1 Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary ofi Current English by A. S. Hornby Moscow, 1982, P. XIV.
tion in Russian and in English, we can draw the following conclusions:
1) Similar syllabic structural types can be found in both languages.
2) In both languages the single intervocal consonant between two
phonetic syllables belongs to the next vowel:
morning /lfflo:-mn/-
cozy /'-zi/-
occasi on /-'1-/--
The checked vowels constitute an exception, e.g. city, pity.
There is a tendency in the Russian language to accomplish syllable division before a sound of minimal sonority, e. g. -, '^. -, -, etc.
3) All consonants may begin a syllable in English, the only ex
ception is the sound /rj/. In the system of the Russian language all
consonants may begin a syllable.
4) The structure of the Russian syllable is characterized by more
complex initial clusters. The structure of the English syllable is char
acterized by more complex final clusters.
5) Initial CCCC type clusters constitute syllables only in Russian.
6) Russian words of foreign origin with the suffixes -, -,
corresponding to English words with the suffixes -tion, -y, have one
extra syllable: revolution, tendency.
7) English diphthortgsjDelong to one syllable, triphthongs may be
divided into two parts.
Questions
1. What is a syllable? 2, What are the lines along which a syllable can be analysed? 3. What is the structure of the syllable? 4. Define the peak and the slopes of the syllable. 5. "What is the role of sonorants-in syllable formation? 6. What do you know about different structural types of the syllable? 7. What do you know about structural differences of English and Russian syllables? 8. Speak on the theories-of syllable formation. 9. What do you know about syllable division?' 10. How does the syllable perform constitutive and distinctive functions? 11. What is "disjuncture" ("internal open juncture"), "close-juncture" ("conjuncture")? 12. Give examples to prove the importance-of the ident'iflcatory function öf the disjuncture. 13. What are the* principal differences of syllable formation and syllable division in; English and in Russian?
Exercises
