Practice question · Select all that apply
How is an English syllable structured, and what does it permit? Select every true statement.
Hints
- Three describe the constraints; one imposes a requirement English does not have.
- The word "at" begins with a vowel.
Show the answer
- A. Codas may contain up to four consonants
- C. Onsets may contain up to three consonants
- D. Every syllable must contain a nucleus, almost always a vowel
Why
The fourth is false for English, though true for some languages. Arabic requires an onset in every syllable, and Hawaiian allows at most one consonant in it. English is unusually permissive in both directions, which is why its clusters give learners so much trouble.
Practise Transcription and Connected Speech
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