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Syllabification is the separation of a word into syllables, whether spoken or written. In most languages, the
actually spoken syllables are the basis of syllabification in writing too. However, due to the very weak
correspondence between sounds and letters in the spelling of modern English, for example, written
syllabification in English has to be based mostly on etymological i.e. morphological instead of phonetic
principles. English "written" syllables therefore do not correspond to the actually spoken syllables of the living
language.
Gameboard 1 - When 2 consonants stand between 2 vowels, split between the consonants.
Gameboard 2 - When 1 consonant stands between 2 vowels split after the first vowel and it'll say its name.
Gameboard 3 - Sometimes when 1 consonant comes between 2 vowels we divide after the consonant. The vowel
is short - it makes its sound, not its name. cab/in
Gameboard 4 - Two little words are put together to make a big word. Split between the two little words.
affricate
air flow/airstream
alveolar
sound formed by touching the tip of the tongue to the upper alveolar ridge, as in
/t/ or /d/
alveolar ridge
the bony region at the roof and bottom of the mouth behind the front teeth;
contains the tooth sockets
approximants
articulation
aspiration
auditory
bilabial
a vowel sound that is pronounced with the tongue close to the roof of the mouth
(but not close enough to constrict the air and make a consonant), as in /i:/ in the
word "free"
consonant
a speech sound made when there is complete or partial obstruction of air in the
mouth, as in /v/, /h/, /d/ (compare vowel)
clusters
curl
a position of the tongue where the tongue is shaped in a curve, not flat
dental
a consonant sound made when the tongue touches the upper teeth, as in /t/ and /n/
dialect
diphthong
flatten
fricative
a speech sound (consonant) in which air is forced to pass through a small opening
and creates friction, as in /f/ and /v/
glide/slide
glottal stop
the sound that is made when the vocal folds are closed very briefly; as in the
middle of the word "uh-oh" (common in American English)
gum
hard palate
intonation
labiodental
sounds that are made with the lower lip and upper teeth, as in /f/ and /v/
larynx
the hollow, muscular organ in the throat that holds the vocal chords; the voice
box
lateral
a speech sound that is made by touching the tongue to the middle of the alveolar
ridge, allowing air to pass on both sides
lengthen sound
linking
lips spread
lower
bottom of mouth
minimal pairs
two words that differ only in terms of one sound, as in "cat and bat" OR "fine and
vine"
monophthong
a single vowel sound that does not change in auditory quality; also called a "pure
vowel"
nasal consonants
consonant sounds made by pushing air through the nose, as in /m/, /n/ and //
non-pulmonic
when the air comes from a source other than the lungs
obstruction
a vowel that is produced with the tongue far down from the roof of the mouth, as
in the /a:/ sound in "far"
palatal
a sound that is made when the tongue is near or touching the roof of the mouth
palate
phoneme
phonetic alphabet
phonetic transcription
a form of notation that uses symbols to identify the individual sounds (phonemes)
in a word
plosive
pitch
Post alveolar
a consonant sound made with the tip of the tongue slightly back from the alveolar
ridge, as in // in "shut"
pressed lips
protruded lips
pulmonic
a sound that is made using the airstream directly from the lungs
raised
reduction
the natural shortening of sounds when speaking (e.g. "going to" reduced to
"gonna")
rhotic
roof
rounded lips
rounded vowel
sentence stress
shorten sound
soft palate
sonorant
sounds that are made when air is impeded only slightly, as in /m/, /n/
syllable
a single unit of sound that creates one beat in a word; the word "coffee" has two
syllables (cof-fee)
syllable nucleus
tap
touch quickly
tone
the emotion that is conveyed through the sound of speech (e.g. anger or sadness)
tongue
tooth ridge
trill
a vibrating sound made with a flapping tongue, as in the rolled "r" sound made
when people roll their r's
upper
top of mouth
velar
of a sound that is made with the back of the tongue near the soft palate, as in the
the // in "sing"
velum
a soft membrane on the roof of the mouth (also called "soft palate")
two muscles inside the larynx that vibrate and create the voice
vocal tract
the entire apparatus that produces voice, starting in the lungs and ending at the
lips and nostrils (openings of the mouth and nose)
voiced
voiceless/unvoiced
vowel
a speech sound made when air is free to pass through the mouth with little or no
obstruction, as in sounds made with the letters a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes y
(compare consonant)
vowel backness
position of the tongue in relation to the back of the mouth when making a vowel
sound (positions include front, near-front, centre, near-back, back)
vowel height
distance between the tongue and the roof of the mouth when pronouncing a vowel
sound (IPA has 7 heights: close (highest), near-close, mid-close, mid, open-mid,
near-open, open (lowest)
word stress
the placement of emphasis within a word that has more than one syllable
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation consisting of a vowel sound, or a vowel sound grouped with one or more
consonant sounds, pronounced by a single impulse of the voice, and forming either a complete word or one of
the units of pronunciation that together make a word.
Examples of words containing a single syllable: got; cart; switch; torch; fault; breath.
Examples of words containing multiple syllables: to/day; big/ger; for/est; al/to/geth/er; con/di/tion/al/ly;
ex/is/ten/tial/ism.
Rules of Syllabication
Syllabication Rule 1.
A one-syllable word is never divided.(say, rest)
Syllabication Rule 2.
Divide a compound word between the words that make up the compound word. (on/to, sun/light). When
necessary, divide the smaller words into syllables. (un/der/dog)
Syllabication Rule 3.
When a word has a suffix, divide the word between the base word and the suffix. (youth/ful, sad/ly)
Syllabication Rule 4.
When a word has a prefix, divide the word between the prefix and the base word or root. (re/new, un/cover)
Some prefixes have more than one syllable. (in/ter/weave, o/ver/take)
Syllabication Rule 5.
When two or more consonants come between the two vowels in a word, the word is usually divided between the
first two consonants. (in/take, win/ner)
Syllabication Rule 6.
When a single consonant comes between two vowels in a word, the word is usually divided after the consonant
if the first vowel is short. (wag/on, shiv/er)
Syllabication Rule 7.
When a single consonant comes between two vowels in a word, the word is usually divided before the
consonant if the first vowel is long. (ra/dar, fi/ber)
Syllabication Rule 8.
When a vowel is sounded alone in a word, the vowel is a syllable itself. (gas/o/line, i/dol,)
Syllabication Rule 9.
When two vowels come together in a word and are sounded separately, divide the word between the two
vowels. (pli/ers, di/ode)
Syllabication Rule 10.
When a word ends in le preceded by a consonant, divide the word before that consonant. (bot/tle, cra/dle)
Phonics Rules
The vowels are "a,e,i,o, and u"; also sometimes "y" & "w". This also includes the diphthongs
"oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
The consonants are all the other letters which stop or limit the flow of air from the throat in speech.
They are: "b,c,d,f,g,h,j,k,l,m,n,p,qu,r,s,t,v,w,x,y,z,ch,sh,th,ph,wh, ng, and gh".
1. Sometimes the rules don't work.
There are many exceptions in English because of the vastness of the language and the many
languages from which it has borrowed. The rules do work however, in the majority of the words.
2. Every syllable in every word must have a vowel.
English is a "vocal" language; Every word must have a vowel.
3. "C" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "s". Examples: "cyst", "central", and
"city".
4. "G" followed by "e, i or y" usually has the soft sound of "j". Example: "gem", "gym", and "gist".
5. When 2 consonants are joined together and form one new sound, they are a consonant digraph.
They count as one sound and one letter and are never separated. Examples: "ch,sh,th,ph and wh".
6. When a syllable ends in a consonant and has only one vowel, that vowel is short. Examples: "fat,
bed, fish, spot, luck".
7. When a syllable ends in a silent "e", the silent "e" is a signal that the vowel in front of it is long.
Examples: "make, gene, kite, rope, and use".
8. When a syllable has 2 vowels together, the first vowel is usually long and the second is silent.
Examples: "pain, eat, boat, res/cue, say, grow". NOTE: Diphthongs don't follow this rule; In a
diphthong, the vowels blend together to create a single new sound. The diphthongs are:
"oi,oy,ou,ow,au,aw, oo" and many others.
9. When a syllable ends in any vowel and is the only vowel, that vowel is usually long. Examples:
"pa/per, me, I, o/pen, u/nit, and my".
10. When a vowel is followed by an "r" in the same syllable, that vowel is "r-controlled". It is not
long nor short. "R-controlled "er,ir,and ur" often sound the same (like "er"). Examples: "term, sir, fir,
fur, far, for, su/gar, or/der".
Accent Rules
When a word has more than one syllable, one of the syllables is always a little louder than
the others. The syllable with the louder stress is the accented syllable. It may seem that the
placement of accents in words is often random or accidental, but these are some rules that
usually work.
1. Accents are often on the first syllable. Examples: ba'/sic, pro'/gram.
2. In words that have suffixes or prefixes, the accent is usually on the main root word.
Examples: box'/es, un/tie'.
3. If de-, re-, ex-, in-,po-, pro-, or a- is the first syllable in a word, it is usually not accented.
Examples: de/lay', ex/plore'.
4. Two vowel letters together in the last syllable of a word often indicates an accented last
syllable. Examples: com/plain', con/ceal'.
5. When there are two like consonant letters within a word, the syllable before the double
consonants is usually accented. Examples: be/gin'/ner, let'/ter.
6. The accent is usually on the syllable before the suffixes -ion, ity, -ic, -ical, -ian, -ial, or -ious,
and on the second syllable before the suffix -ate. Examples: af/fec/ta'/tion, dif/fer/en'/ti/ate.
7. In words of three or more syllables, one of the first two syllables is usually accented.
Examples: ac'/ci/dent, de/ter'/mine.
Prepared by
Surya Prakash. S
Resource Person
R.M.S.A. 2011