1. Syllables
English and Arabic

2. What is a syllable?
A syllable is defined as a unit of pronunciation having one vowel sound, with or without surrounding consonants, forming the whole or a part of a word;
I, eye, are
With surrounding sounds (consonants):
Cat, mat, hat
At, act, ask,
Go, now, far

3. Without surrounding sounds
I, eye, are, hour
- Forming a whole word:
Cat, at, now, I
Or part of a word
Teaches, ago, about,
Attractive, difficult, easily

4. Comparison 1 V /ai/ E 2 V C On, at, E 3 V C C Its, act, ask E 4
No.
Syllable structure
Example
Language 1 V
/ai/ E 2
V C
On, at, E 3
V C C
Its, act, ask E 4
V C C C
arms E 5
C V
To ذا
E & A 6
C C V
free E

5. Comparison 7 C C C V straw E 8 C V C Let من E & A 9 C V C C Ramp نهر
No.
Syllable structure
Example
Language 7
C C C V
straw E 8
C V C
Let من
E & A 9
C V C C
Ramp نهر
E & A 10
C V C C C
ramps E 11
C V C C C C
texts E 12
C C V C
skin E

6. Comparison 13 C C V C C skins E 14 C C V C C C plants E 15 C C C V C
No.
Syllable structure
Example
Language 13
C C V C C
skins E 14
C C V C C C
plants E 15
C C C V C
street E 16
C C C V C C
streets E 17
C C C V C C C
Scripts E

7. Observations
There are only three syllabic patterns common to both E and A, i e., Nos. 5, 8,and 9, marked EA in the table.
There is no syllabic pattern restricted to A.
Fourteen of the syllabic patterns are restricted to E, marked E in the table.
The Arabic syllable is generally shorter than the E syllable. The former ranges from two to four sounds, whereas the latter ranges from one to seven sounds.
English allows syllables without consonants at all, e.g., a, but Arabic does not.

8. 6. English has at least seventeen different syllabic patterns, whereas Arabic has only three. 7. English allows one, two, or three consonants before the nucleus, whereas Arabic allows only one consonant. 8. English does not always require a consonant before the nucleus, whereas Arabic does. 9. After the nucleus, English allows one, two, three, or four consonants, whereas Arabic allows one or two consonants. 10. The maximum number of consonants before the nucleus is three in E, but one in A.

9. 11. The maximum number of consonants after the nucleus is four in E, but two in A. 12. English has three open syllables, i.e., ending in a vowel: v, cv, and ccv. Arabic has one: cv. 13. English has fourteen closed syllables, i.e., ending in a consonant. Arabic has two closed ones: Nos. 8 and 9.

10. Exercise:
1. Write the syllable structure for each of the following words:
Or, see, ill, but, no, know, gnaw, free, old, sick, street, strength, laughed, treats,
2. Give an example for each of the following syllable structures.
V C C C, C V C C, C V C C C