Transcript Chapter 9 Strong and Weak Syllables Week 8 03.10.2013

Chapter 9
Strong and Weak Syllables
Week 8
03.10.2013
Outline
1. Strong and Weak Syllables
a. What do we mean by strong and weak?
b. How to identify a weak syllable?
2. The vowel ‘schwa’
a. features of the vowel schwa
3. Close front and close back vowels
4. Syllabic consonants
a. Syllabic l
b. Syllabic n
c. Syllabic ŋ
d. Syllabic r
Strong and Weak Syllables
• Strength and weakness is one of many features of the
English syllable.
What do we mean by “strong” and “weak” syllables?
When we compare weak syllables with strong syllables we find that the
VOWEL in weak syllables tends to be..
1. Shorter
2. lower intensity (loudness)
3. different in quality
Another way is in terms of stress:
Strong syllable  stressed  has a long vowel as its peak
Weak syllable  unstressed  has a short vowel as its peak
Data /deItϑ/
The second syllable is the weak syllable…
•Shorter than the first
•Less loud
•Has a vowel that cannot occur in strong syllables
weak
Weak syllables can only have one of a very small number of possible peaks
1.The vowel schwa
2.A close front unrounded vowel. In the general area of i:, I
3.A close back rounded vowel. In the general area of u:, υ
• Most frequently occurring vowel.
• Always associated with weak syllables.
• In quality it is mid and central.
• It is not articulated with much energy.
Described as lax
Weak syllable
Strong syllable
Letters
/ə/
character /kærəktə/
/æ/
character /kærəktə/
a
/ə/
particular /pətɪkjələ/
/ɑː/
arms /ɑːmz/
ar
/ə/
Intimate /ɪntɪmət/
/eɪ/
ate /eɪt/
Adjectival endings spelt
'ate'
/ə/
Tomorrow /təmɒrəʊ/
/ɒ/ or /əʊ/
Tomorrow /təmɒrəʊ/
Spelt with 'o'
/ə/
Forget /fəget/
/ɔː/
Or /ɔː/
Spelt with 'or'
Weak syllable
Strong syllable
Letters
/ə/
/e/
Spelt with 'e'
Settlement /setl̩mənt/
Settlement /setl̩mənt/
/ə/
Server /sɜːvə/
/ɜː/
/ə/
Sulphur /sʌlfə/
/ə/
Spelt with 'er'
Server /sɜːvə/
/ʌ/
Spelt with 'u'
Sulphur /sʌlfə/
Spelt with 'ough'
Thorough /θʌrə/
There are many
pronunciations for the
letter sequence 'ough'
/ə/
Gracious /greɪʃəs/
Might have /aʊ/
Loud /laʊd/
Spelt with 'ou'
Other common vowels found in weak syllables are…
1.Close front unrounded I
2.Close back rounded u
1) Final position, words spelt with ‘y’ or ‘ey’
2) Prefix such as ‘re’, ‘pre’, ‘de’
3) Suffixes spelt ‘ate’, ‘iou’
4) In the following words when unstressed, “me, be, he,
she, the”
• Not so common
• Frequently found in words such as “you, to, into”
When?  1. unstressed 2. Preceding a consonant
• “through , who”  unstressed
• Before another vowel within a word.
Syllables in which no vowel is found, a consonant
either l, r, or a nasal stands as its peak
A consonant is syllabic by a small vertical mark ( )
l, n, m, ŋ, r
Read and highlight examples from the book
Speaking
1.Choose Partners
2. Brainstorm Questions with Partners
3. Speak: Get Ready, Get Set, START TALKING!
Rules:
1.Speak only English!
2.Keep talking! Don’t stop!
3.No dictionaries!
Next Week
Bring a copy of the handout
Available at the webpage…
www.schoolrack.com/ms_lujain