1. Syllable structure Kuiper and Allan Chapter 6.1.3

2. Syllable structure Syllables have internal structure. –vowels at the centre –consonants at the periphery –Consonants can be optional. Languages differ as to their allowable syllable structure. –Maori has a (C)V structure. –Borrowings from English are adjusted to fit this structure.

3. More syllable structure nucleus –central vowel onset –the initial consonant(s) coda –the final consonant(s) rhyme –nucleus plus coda

4. Example of syllable structure dog  On Rh Nu Co d o g

5. Syllable structure in poetry Rhymes in poetry involve the same rhyme constituent appearing on the last rhyme of a line of poetry. I saw a door. What is it for? Internal rhymes also exist as in saw and door. Rhyme schemes are systems of end rhymes.

6. Rhyme schemes couplet –two lines with a rhyme at the end of each ballad –four line verses which rhyme abcb defe etc sonnet –14 line poem Petrarchan –abba abba cde cde Shakespearian –abab cdcd efef gg

7. Syllabic consonants Sometimes when a vowel is elided a consonant can become a syllabic nucleus. Only a consonant in the coda can become a syllabic nucleus. Only the following actual consonants can become syllabic nuclei: –/l m n/

8. Syllables and stress Some syllables are more prominent than others. These are termed ‘stressed’ syllables. Stress is related to the location of a syllable in a word.

9. Exercise Which is the stressed syllable in the following words? income stupid become induce phantom

10. Where is a syllable? It is conventional to count syllables from the end of the word. –last ultimate –2nd to last penultimate –3rd to last antepenultimate –4th to last preantepenultimate