What is a syllable?

Definition
	A syllable is a unit of sound composed of
	a central peak of sonority (usually a vowel), and the consonants that cluster around this central peak.

Discussion
	Syllable structure, which is the combination of allowable segments and typical sound sequences, is language specific.

Parts

Parts	Description	Optionality
Onset	Initial segment of a syllable	Optional
Rhyme	Core of a syllable, consisting of a nucleus and coda (see below)	Obligatory
– Nucleus	Central segment of a syllable	Obligatory
– Coda	Closing segment of a syllable	Optional

Example (English)
	Here is an example of the syllable structure of the English word limit:

Kinds

Here are some kinds of syllables:

Kind	Description	Example
Heavy	Has a branching rhyme. All syllables with a branching nucleus (long vowels) are considered heavy. Some languages treat syllables with a short vowel (nucleus followed by a consonant (coda) as heavy.	CV:C, CVCC, CVC
Light	Has a non-branching rhyme (short vowel). Some languages treat syllables with a short vowel(nucleus) followed by a consonant (coda) as light.	CV, CVC
Closed	Ends with a consonant coda.	CVC, CVCC, VC
Open	Has no final consonant	CV

Diagram
	Here is a diagram of a syllable:

See also
	What is metrical phonology?

Context for this page:

Concept module: syllable
In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): S
In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

© 2004 SIL International