Syllable theories

The Sonority Sequencing Generalisation

• The Sonority Sequencing Generalization governs the shape of both onsets and codas.
• The Sonority Sequencing Generalization, and governs the shape of both onsets and codas.

The Sonority Sequencing Generalisation

• Here, the most sonorous sounds appear at the top, and the least sonorous at the bottom.
• Low vowels [ɑ ] …
• High vowels [i u] …
• Glides [j w]
• Liquids [l ɹ]
• Nasals [m n ŋ]
• Voiced fricatives [v z] …
• Voiceless fricatives [f s] …
• Voiced plosives [b d ]
• Voiceless plosives [p t k]

The Sonority Sequencing Generalisation …..rules out

• Onset
• lp--------------play
• Jm-------------muse
• rg--------------grey
• Onset
• pm------------- lamp
• kl--------------- silk
• mr-------------- harm

The Sonority Sequencing Generalisation Exception of onset/s/

• The onset clusters in spray and skew
• there is no question of drawing a syllable boundary here and recognizing two syllables within the same word,as [s] is not one of the English consonants which can become nuclear, or
• syllabic.

• The same problem arises in codas. We would normally use a sonority pattern to tell us a syllable division should be made, giving two syllables in little, but one in foxs

Aspiration of voiceless stops…./p/ /t/ /k/

• Word initial position
• Aspiration : pill, till, kill
• No aspiration : skill, still ,spill preceded by /s/
• Aspiration :repair, return record medial onset position
• No aspiration respond, disturb, discord
• In short, aspiration of voiceless stops takes place, not at the beginning of the word, but at the beginning of the onset.