Hello, dear friends! Today I will tell you about the types of syllables in English. Some readers will now close the article and say that they do not want to go so deep into learning the language. There's no need to rush. Only at first glance it seems that the English read completely differently from how they write. In fact, there is logic everywhere. Once you know it, you can learn to read with confidence. So let's figure it out.
Why is transcription needed?
Many people no longer teach it at school and you don’t have to memorize these incomprehensible symbols, but there is one secret. It is important to learn division into syllables.
The rule is:
If a stressed vowel is followed by a consonant (except r), then we give it to the next, unstressed one. As in the word stu/dent. When pronouncing, you emphasize u more clearly. The emphasis falls on it. Therefore d goes into the second part. If there are two or more consonants after a stressed word, the first is taken by the stressed part of the word, and the second by the unstressed part (pat/tern).
Do you have any doubts? Open your dictionary. The upper comma in the transcription indicates emphasis.
Open and shut
Now you need to know how to determine the type of syllable. Many of you learned at school, but few will confidently say what an open syllable means. This is the one that ends with a vowel.
Why is the letter r special?
Because she does not obey general rules, but dictates her own. In the third type, it comes after the letter under stress and makes it long. Pay attention to fur (fёёё), fork (fook), serve (syoev). Syllable type 4 is similar to type 3, but after the r there is also the letter e. As in care, mere, more.
Let's put all the information in a table:
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As a rule, the modern standard English school curriculum does not provide for some important aspects in teaching, and among them is the ability to determine the type of syllable and, accordingly, correctly read the entire word. How to do this?
Syllables in English
Some theoretical aspects of linguistics are not always required for beginners. Perhaps one of the optional skills for those who do not study English at a professional level is syllabification. Usually this does not present serious difficulties, but in this case it is necessary to know the basic rules, since they differ significantly from those accepted in Russian phonetics.
The general rule is that the number of syllables corresponds to the number of vowel sounds. This means that you don’t need to look at the letters, but listen to the pronunciation of the word, since the English language contains an abundance of silent vowels, diphthongs, etc. In addition, so-called sonorant consonants can also be syllabic, so the word “mild” will turn out to be divided this way: mi|ld. In the future it will become clear why this happens.
The syllable division is made from the end of the word: student - stu|dent, money - mo|ney, permission - per|mis|sion.
A consonant that is on the border of two syllables is thus adjacent to the vowel that follows it. Doubled sounds are divided. All this matters if you need to figure out how to pronounce a particular unfamiliar word. Also, for this you need to know about closed and open syllables in English.
Impact on reading rules
The types of syllables in English differ from the classification in Russian. Here there are four varieties, while in others, as a rule, there are only two.
Firstly, it is an open syllable. In English it ends in At this point, the reading rules come into play.
The second type is a closed syllable. It ends with one or more consonants (except for "r"). In this case, the vowels are read briefly.
The third and fourth types of syllables are conditionally open. They end in “r” or “re”; the preceding vowels are read in a special way, which will be discussed below.
Of course, there are exceptions to all rules. Closed and open syllables in English do not guarantee that the vowels will be read one way or another. However, such cases do not occur very often.
By the way, first of all, you need to determine the stressed syllable for a word, because whether it is open or closed is of paramount importance. Vowels in the rest, as a rule, are pronounced quite neutrally or become completely mute. But problems usually arise with accents, because English is a freely placed language.
Open
This type of syllables includes those that end in a vowel. When analyzing a word visually, it is imperative to take into account the presence of a silent “e” at the end, since it is this that opens the previous syllable.
In this case, most of the vowels are diphthongs.
The general reading rules in this case will be as follows:
A - pale, name;
E - to be, she;
I - to bite, kite;
O - to go, so;
U - to use, pupil;
Y - to type.
But this does not always work, for example, in the word “to come” the phonetically “o” does not correspond to the accepted rules, despite the presence of a silent “e” at the end of the word. In this case, it is read according to the principle of a closed syllable. What is this principle?
Closed
Syllables of this type, unlike open ones, always end in consonants (except r).
Accordingly, vowels in this case are pronounced briefly and easily.
A [æ] - bad, cat;
E [e] - to let, pen;
I [i] - list, to sit;
O [ɔ] - to lock, pot;
U [ʌ] - must, sun;
A closed syllable in English is perhaps somewhat less common than an open one. This happens precisely due to the fact that there is often a silent “e” at the end of the word. But closed and open syllables in English, unlike Russian, are not the only types. There are two more varieties that are not always considered. But their features are also important to take into account when studying the rules of reading vowels.
Conditionally open
These two types of syllables are sometimes also called half-closed. They end in "r" or "re". In theory, in this case these will be closed and open syllables, respectively. In English, everything is different, and vowels, being in front of these letter combinations, acquire a new, more complex sound; before “re”, some of them even become diphthongs.
In the first case, if we are talking about syllables ending in r, everything will be like this:
A - park, dark;
E [ə:] - term, her;
I [ə:] - bird;
O [ɔ:] - port, short, world;
U [ə:] - to burn;
Y [ə:] - Myrtle.
In the second, if there is a “re” after the vowels, they will sound differently:
A [ɛə] - to care, nightmare;
E - here, here;
I - fire;
O [ɔ:] - core;
U - cure, sure, pure;
Y - tire.
In addition to the fact that open and closed syllables in English, as well as the third and fourth types affect the reading of certain vowels, there are a huge number of letter combinations that also have a special sound. This knowledge can be obtained both in theory and simply by memorizing the transcription of words by encountering them in practice.
To simply use the language in everyday communication or correspondence, you may not even know such subtleties as the rules for dividing words and the classification of syllables.
The rules for reading vowels have so many exceptions that they almost lose all meaning. That is why closed and open syllables in English are more interesting and useful to linguists than to ordinary people.
The reading of a vowel depends on the letters adjacent to it and on the type of syllable in which it is located.
Open syllable
A syllable is considered open if it ends with a vowel (to-tal, ri-val, bi-ble, mo-tor). The vowel in this case gives a long sound - that is, it is read as in the alphabet. Words with silent “e” also belong to this type. For example:
- take
- Pete
- kite
- nose
- cute
Some monosyllabic words are also open syllables. For example, me, she, he and no, so, go.
Closed syllable
The closed syllable is the most common orthographic unit of the English language; it makes up about 50% of the syllables in the text. A closed syllable ends with one or more consonants, and the vowel in this case is read briefly.
There are many closed monosyllabic words in English (cat, pin, hen). If , beginning with a vowel, is added to them, the consonant before it is doubled. This is done to avoid changing the sound. For example:
- hat-ha tt er
- pin - pi nn ed
- hot-ho tt est
- red-re dd ish
- cut - cu tt ing
Syllable “vowel + r”
The third type of syllable is one in which the vowel is followed by the letter "r". In this case, the vowel gives a long sound, and the “r” itself is not readable (in).
- car
- herb
- girl [ɡɜːl]
- form
- turn
The double "r" does not affect the sound of the vowel. In this case, the syllable is read as closed. Compare:
- smi r k - mi rr or [ˈmɪrə]
- cu r l - cu rr ent [ˈkʌr(ə)nt]
- po r t - to rr ent [ˈtɒr(ə)nt]
Syllable "vowel + re"
In a syllable of this type, the letter “r” is also unreadable, and the vowel forms a diphthong.
- dare
- more
- hire [ˈhaɪə]
- core
- pure
Syllable “consonant + le”
Sometimes this syllable is highlighted separately - it occurs only at the end of the word. If there is one consonant before -le, the syllable is read as open. If there are two consonants before -le, it is read as closed. Compare:
- ta bl e [ˈteɪbl] - da bbl e, ti tl e [ˈtaɪtl] - li ttl e [ˈlɪtl]
- bu gl e-stru ggl e [ˈstrʌɡl], ri fl e [ˈraɪfl] - sni ffl e [ˈsnɪfl]
Not every consonant occurs in combination with -le. Here are those that are typical for the English language:
- -ble (bubble) -fle (rifle) -stle (whistle) -cle (cycle)
- -gle (bugle) -tle (brittle) -ckle (pickle) -kle (tinkle)
- -zle (dazzle) -dle (bridle) -ple (staple)
Vowel combinations (digraphs)
A digraph is a combination of two letters that are pronounced as one sound. In the case of vowels, this may be a long sound, a short sound, or a diphthong. Most often, digraphs are found in old Anglo-Saxon words, the pronunciation of which has undergone changes over hundreds of years: thief, boil, hay, boat, straw. They are read according to special rules, but there are many exceptions, so such words need to be learned gradually and systematically.
Basic vowel digraphs
| Writing | Pronunciation | Examples |
| ai/ay | [eɪ] | bait, hay |
| au/aw | [ ɔː ] | taunt, draw |
| ea | [i:] | meat, deal |
| [e] | bread, steady | |
| ee | [i:] | feed, reel |
| ei | [eɪ] | feint, vein |
| [i:] (after c) | ceiling, receive | |
| eu/ew | [ju:] | feud, strewn |
| ie | [i:] | thief, priest |
| oa | [ əʊ ] | coat, goal |
| oi/oy | [ ɔɪ ] | coin, toy |
| oo | [u:] | root, food |
| [ʊ] (before k) | book, look | |
| ou | [aʊ] | loud, loud |
| [u:] | soup, ghoul | |
| ow | [aʊ] | cow, howl |
| [oʊ] | know, low |
A vowel combination is not a digraph if the vowels belong to different syllables. In this case, the first vowel is read as in an open syllable, and the second is in an unstressed position and gives the sound [ə]. For example: lion ["laɪən], diet [ˈdaɪət].
The pronunciation of words in any language is largely determined by the norms of syllability. Having understood the basic provisions, you will not only learn the rules of competent hyphenation, but also begin to better understand the language.
The practical necessity of syllable division
A syllable is a phonetic-phonological unit. Simply put, it stands out only during pronunciation, but does not play any role in semantic word formation. Therefore, this unit is called pronunciation.
The easiest way for Russian speakers to understand the rules for dividing words in English is by analogy. The fact is that the norms for highlighting syllables in both languages are similar. The main similarity of syllabization is the leading role of vowels; they are called syllable-forming vowels.
A simple way to divide words is taught in elementary school. The hand is raised to the chin, after which the word is pronounced. The number of times your hand touches your chin determines the number of syllables.
Rules for syllable division in English
Depending on the sound with which the word ends, open and closed syllables are distinguished. Open ones always end in vowels. In addition, when a syllable is formed with a long stressed vowel or diphthong, it will also be open.
Closed syllables always end in a consonant. If the syllable is formed by a short vowel, it will also be closed.
The main feature of syllable division is the need to divide the word not from the beginning, but from the end. The rules of English syllability become more clear when studying specific examples.
1. As a rule, the number of syllables depends on the vowels used: po-ta-to.
2. The presence of one vowel already forms a syllable: a-bo-ut.
3. Two consonants at the syllable boundary are the basis for division into parts: po-et.
4. A word that has several vowels formed by a diphthong, i.e. one sound, has only one syllable: like, it cannot be divided into parts.
5. The appearance of a consonant at the border of syllable separation leads to its separation into the second syllable: i-ma-gine; if several consonants appear at the junction, then the first is assigned to one syllable, and the rest to another: ab-sent.
6. Syllables are formed by the combination –er, located after w: flow-er.
7. The appearance of the letter l at the boundary of syllables refers it to the next syllable along with the adjacent consonant: ta-ble.
8. Combinations of consonants ld and nd draw the boundary of the syllable before them: mi-ld, ki-nd.
Syllability and its role:
1. Standards for correct transfer. It is thanks to knowledge of the provisions of syllable division that you can correctly divide words into parts that need to be highlighted in writing when transferred between lines.
2. Criteria for dividing a word into components. In the English language there is no single standard for syllabification, so morphological, phonetic or orthographic principles of division can be used.
3. Language development. The ongoing processes of correlation of syllabic morphemes set new parameters for the division of words.
We have outlined the basic rules for syllable division in the English language. In general, they are quite simple and do not pose any particular difficulties to master. Although, everyone who strives to improve their language and write correctly needs to not only learn them, but also understand them.
A short and clear course on syllabification
In this lesson:
Alphabet for letter A
Open and closed syllable
There are many reading rules in the English language, but the most, most, most “basic” are the rules for reading vowels in open and closed syllables.
There is NO need to “learn the rules” of reading separately. You need to learn quite a lot of words - examples of this rule. By memorizing the rules, you remember patterns, which you then notice in unfamiliar words.
Let's go through the dictionary
Once upon a time, it seems like a long time ago, there were no electronic dictionaries. Why, back then there were no computers. The translation of unfamiliar words had to be looked for by leafing through a thick, solid book DICTIONARY. Probably, even now every student of English has a large or not very large English-Russian dictionary, which is called “hardcover”.
It is, of course, easier to look for a translation of a word in the electronic version of the dictionary, but when you hold a book in your hands, you see more words, and it is easier to find words in which a vowel denotes a specific sound. So, let's go through the dictionary and look for patterns.
"Alphabet" for the letter "A"
| [x] | |
| ant - ant act act apple - apple |
able ace ace |
| bad - bad bag - bag |
baby ["beIbi] child bake bacon ["beIkn] bacon bait bait |
| camp - camp cat - cat |
cable cable cake |
| daddy - dad dam - dam |
date date, date day day daisy ["deIzI] daisy danger ["deInGq] danger |
| enamel enamel embarrass to embarrass |
enable promote embrace |
| fan - fan, fan fact fact fax fax |
face face fame fake - fake, counterfeit |
| gas - gas ganster - ganster |
game game gate |
| hat - hat hand - hand | hate |
| jam ["Gxm] - jam, jam jaguar ["Gxgjq] jaguar |
Jane -Jane jail ["GeIl] prison |
| lamp - lamp | lady ["leIdI] - lady, lady |
| mad - crazy | make - do, produce |
| narrow ["nxrqV] narrow | name - name, call |
| pack pack, flock | pale - pale |
| rat - rat | radio ["reIdiqV] radio |
| sad - sad | safe safe |
| tank tank | take |
Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Mm Nn Oo Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz
Open and closed syllable
This table does not contain words for all letters of the alphabet, but this is enough. As you can see, in English there are a lot of short words like
hat is a closed syllable - after the letter a there is one consonant and nothing else.
hate is an open syllable - after the letter a there is one consonant and a “silent” letter e (it is not pronounced).
Using such examples, the rules for reading vowels in open and closed (stressed!) syllables are the easiest to remember. So,
In an open stressed syllable, vowels are read in the same way as they are called (as in the alphabet), i.e. This is alphabetical reading.
Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Even this “simple” rule does not apply to all words. To read a vowel letter it is important what letters exactly? stand in front of her and behind her. Therefore, the letter a can also be read as [L] or [R]. But more on that in the next lesson.
In the meantime, try to remember the words from the table above and
transcription signs [x] and .
More: