Phonology: Syllable Structure I
1 Overview
• Syllable structure (onset, rime, nucleus, coda)
• Complex onset
– Sonority Sequencing Generalisation
– Minimal Sonority Distance
– OCP
• Onset first
2 Syllable structure
Sounds in natural languages are not just a string of phones, but they constitute a
hierarchical structure. The structure is called syllable (notated as σ) and thought to
take the following form:
(1)
σ
eo
Onset Rime
eo
Nucleus Coda
The initial and final consonants are called onset and coda respectively. The core
part of the syllable structure is nucleus which is filled by a vowel. The combination
of nucleus and coda is Rime (or Rhyme) (cf. (2)).
(2) a. pat, bat, cat, fat: sharing nucleus and coda (rhyme)
b. pat, pan, pad, pack: sharing onset and nucleus (nothing special)
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c. pat, pit, pot, put: sharing onset and coda (nothing special)
One word can contain more than one syllable:
(3) captain, active, septic and rustic
σ σ
O R O R
N Cd N Cd
k æ p t I n
Note that not all syllables are CVC, i.e. they may lack onset or coda (law, lawn, awl and
awe):
(4) a. σ b. σ c. σ d. σ
O R O R O R O R
N Cd N Cd N Cd N Cd
l O ∅ l O n ∅ O l ∅ O ∅
3 Onset
3.1 Complex onset in English
(5) σ
O R
p l e i
(6) a. Possible complex onset:
[pl], [bl], [fl], [sl], [kl], [gl], [pô], [bô], [fô], [Tô], [tô], [dô], [Sô], [kô], [gô]
b. Impossible complex onset:
*[lp], *[ôp] etc.
• A native speaker of English knows whether the combination (phonotactics) of
consonants is possible for an onset or not.
• Possible combinations of English onset are regulated by phonological constraints.
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(7) Sonority scale:
Most sonorous 5 Non-high vowels
4 High-vowels (Glides)
3 Liquids
2 Nasals
Least sonorous 1 Obstruents
(8) Sonority profile
5 * 5 *
4 4
3 * 3 *
2 2
1 * 1 *
p l ei l p ei
(9) Sonority Sequencing Generalisation:
The sonority profile of the syllable must rise until it peaks, and then fall.
(Roca and Johnson 1999:255)
Some puzzles: why are the following complex onsets unacceptable even though their
sonority rises?
(10) obstruent (stop) + nasal (1 → 2):
*[pn], *[pm], *[gm], *[kn] etc.
Another phonological constraint:
(11) Minimal Sonority Distance:
The sonority distance between the two elements of a complex onset must be far
enough (2 in English).
More puzzles: why are the followings unacceptable even though their sonority rises and
the distance is far enough?
(12) *[pw], *[bw], *[fw], *[tl], *[dl], *[Dl]
One more constraint:
(13) Obligatory Contour Principle (OCP):
Two adjacent segments must not be similar.
That is, the places of articulation in (12) are too close.
3.2 Onset fulfillment
(14) a. traffic [tôæfIk], lattice [lætIs], moving [muvIN]
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b. σ σ c. * σ σ
O R O R O R R
N N Cd N Cd N Cd
t ô æ f I k t ô æ f I k
Why is (14b), not (14c), the correct syllable structure for [tôæfIk]?
(15) Minimal Onset Satisfaction:
Minimal satisfaction of onsets takes priority over satisfaction of codas.
Roca and Johnson (1999:279)
(16) a. actress [æktô@s], comply [k@mplaI], compress [k@mpôes]
b. σ σ c. * σ σ
R O R R O R
N Cd N Cd N Cd N Cd
æ k t ô @ s æ k t ô @ s
Why is (16b), not (16c), the correct syllable structure, though both satisfy the Minimal
Onset Satisfaction?
(17) Onset Maximasation Principle:
Maximal formation of onsets takes priority over formation of codas.
Roca and Johnson (1999:283)
References
Radford, Andrew, Martin Atkinson, David Britain, Harald Clahsen, and Andrew Spencer.
1999. Linguistics: An Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Roca, Iggy, and Wyn Johnson. 1999. A Course in Phonology. Oxford: Blackwell.
Spencer, Andrew. 1996. Phonology. Oxford: Blackwell.
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Exercises
(1) Draw the sonority profiles of the following words. Identify the nuclei and the
syllable boundaries (Roca and Johnson 1999:259):
a. compass
b. cocoa
c. trigger
(2) Break the following words into syllables, and, applying the Maximal Onset
Principle, identify the onsets, nuclei and codas by providing a diagram such as that
in (14, 16) (Radford et al. 1999:102).
a. comfortable
b. confessional
c. cooperative
d. existentialism
