Final Assessment Questions on “Theoretical phonetics” Card-1 Connection of Phonetics with Other Sciences

Theories of Syllable Formation and Syllable Division.

Syllable formation in English is based on the phonological opposition vowel – consonant. Vowels appear to be syllabic, while consonants do not, with the exception of [l], [m], [n] which become syllabic if they occur in an unstressed final position preceded by a noise consonant. For example, little ['litl], blossom ['blPsqm], garden ['gRdn].
In English there are distinguished four types of syllables:
In such cases the point of syllable division is not easily found. Theoretically two variants are possible:

1. 
   the point of syllable division is after the intervocalic consonant;
   
2. 
   the point of syllable division is inside the consonant.
   

There are several theories of syllable formation and syllable division and none of them is shared by all linguists.The most ancient theory states that there are as many syllables in a word as there are vowels. This theory is primitive and insufficient since it does not take into consideration consonants which also can form syllables in some languages, neither does it explain the boundary of syllables.The so-called “breath-puff” (expiratory, chest-pulse, or pressure) theory is based on the fact that expiration in speech is not a continuous and uninterrupted process as it is in ordinary breathing, but a pulsating one. According to this theory there are as many syllables in a word as there are expiration pulses made during its utterance, because each syllable corresponds to a single expiration. The so-called relative sonority theory of the syllable was put forward by O. Jespersen and further developed by other western linguists who often refer to it also as the “prominence” theory. By the term “sonority” is meant here the prevalence in a speech sound of musical tone over noise (hence the word “sonorant”).The muscular tension theory (articulatory tension, or energy theory) was put forward by L.V. Shcherba. He explained the phenomenon of syllable formation by muscular tension impulses. The fact that syllables cannot be further subdivided in connected speech proves that in speaking muscular tension impulses follow one another. The three types of consonants theory was also put forward by Shcherba To explain the mechanism of syllable division he distinguished between the three types of consonants, such as initially strong, finally strong and geminate, or double. The difference between these types is in the way they are pronounced. The so-called “loudness theory” was put forward by N.I. Zhinkin. On the basis of his analysis of the x-ray moving pictures, together with the sound spectrograms and kymograms he has found the organ which is immediately responsible for syllable formation. This organ is the pharyngeal cavity, or rather its walls.