1. STRUCTURE OF SYLLABLES
BY SHAIK.KHASIM

2. SYLLABIC WORDS
A syllable is a sound of a vowel with or without surrounding consonants. It is made up of either a singular vowel sound or a combination of vowel and consonant sound. They are also called as the ‘building blocks’ of words.

3. MONOSYLLABIC WORDS
A word is made up of one or more syllables. Words that consists only one syllable are called as monosyllabic words.
Eg: girl, boy, shirt, go, bus, cut etc.

4. DISYLLABIC WORDS
Words that consists of two syllables are called as ‘Disyllabic words’. Eg: teacher, doctor etc.

5. TRISYLLABIC WORDS
Words that consists of three syllables are called as ‘Trisyllabic words’. Eg: remember, phonetics etc.

6. POLYSYLLABIC WORDS
Words that consists of more than three syllables are called as ‘Polysyllabic words’. Eg: population, examination, laboratory etc.

7. 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.

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

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

10. 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.

11. Rhyme schemes couplet ballad sonnet
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

12. 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/

13. 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.

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

15. 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