Syllabification
HOW ARE WORDS SYLLABIFIED?
To syllabify a word, you need to understand the phonotactic constraints of English. The term “phonotactic constraints” refers to the “restrictions on the sequence of sounds that can occur in a given position in a syllable.” (Philip Carr, A Glossary of Phonology) These are the most important phonotactic constraints in English:
No word in English can end with the following vowels: /e, æ, ʌ, ɒ/. Therefore, you cannot end a syllable with any of these vowels. For example, the word “bottle” is transcribed and syllabified in this way: /ˈbɒt.əl/. These four vowels always need a coda.
The vowels /ɪ/ and /ʊ/ can never occur in the final position of a syllable if the syllable is stressed. For example, the word “sister” is transcribed and syllabified in this manner: /ˈsɪs.tə/. Here, the sound /ɪ/ occurs in a stressed syllable. Therefore, it needs a coda. On the other hand, the word “oxygen” is transcribed and syllabified like this: /ˈɒk.sɪ.dʒən/. Since the vowel /ɪ/ occurs in an unstressed syllable here, the coda is optional.
About consonants, you need to remember which consonants occur in the word-initial position in English. There is only one consonant that never occurs in the word-initial position in English, i.e. /ŋ/. Therefore, you should never place /ŋ/ in the initial position of a syllable. For example, the word “increase” is transcribed and syllabified as /ɪŋˈkriːs/. Here, you cannot put /ŋ/ in the onset of the ultimate (last) syllable. The phonotactics of English determines that no word or syllable can begin with this consonant.
Another rule about consonants that you need to remember is that a syllable can begin with a consonant cluster only if that consonant cluster is permitted in the word-initial position in English.
Another principle for syllabification is the Onset Maximisation Principle. This rule says that you must try to put as many consonants as possible in the initial position of a syllable, i.e. the onset. However, it should not violate the phonotactics of the English language discussed above. For example, if you syllabify the word “asking”, it should be in this way: /ˈɑː.skɪŋ/. This is because the consonant cluster /sk/ is allowed in the initial position in English and the language allows the vowel /ɑː/ in the final position of a syllable or a word, as in “car” /kɑː/. If you syllabify the word like this: /ɑːsk.ɪŋ/, it will violate the Onset Maximisation Principle as it does not maximise the onset but the coda. Similarly, the word “pizza” is transcribed and syllabified like this: /ˈpiːt.sə/. You may be wondering why it is not /ˈpiː.tsə/. This is because the consonant cluster /ts/ is not allowed at the initial position of a word or syllable in English (although this cluster maximises the onset).
Observe how these words are syllabified:
/ˈɡet.ɪŋ/ “getting”
/ˈlæt.ɪn/ “Latin”
/ˈkʌd.əl/ “cuddle”
/ˈhɒt.ə/ “hotter”
/ˈsɪs.tə/ “sister”
/ˈfʊl.ə/ “fuller”
/ˌriː.əˈlaɪn/ “realign”
/ˈmɑː.stə/ “master”
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