Page 119 - DENG504_LINGUISTICS

Unit 9: Clusters and Syllables

There are two types of final three-consonant cluster; the first is pre-final plus final plus post-final, as Notes
set out in the following table:

Pre-final Final Post-final
‘helped’ he l p t
‘banks’ bæ n ŋ s
‘bonds’ ba n d z
‘twelfth’ twe l f θ

The second type shows how more than one post-final consonant can occur in a final cluster: final plus
post-final 1 plus post-final 2. Post-final 2 is again one of s, z, t, d, θ.

Pre-final Final Post-final 1 Post-final 2
‘fifths’ f1 — f θ s
‘next’ ne — k s t
‘lapsed’ læ — p s t

Most four-consonant clusters can be analysed as consisting of a final consonant preceded by a pre-
final and followed by post-final 1 and post-final 2, as shown below:

Pre-final Final Post-final 1 Post-final 2
‘twelfths’ twe l f θ s
‘prompts’ pro m p t s

A small number of cases seem to require a different analysis, as consisting of a final consonant with
no pre-final but three post-final xonsonant:

Pre-final Final Post-final 1 Post-final 2 Post-final 3
‘sixths’ sw — k s θ s
‘texts’ te — k s t s

To sum up, we may describe the English syllable as having the following maximum phonological
structure:
pre- initial post- pre- final post- post- post-
initial initial Vowel final final final final
1 2 3

Onset Coda
In the above structure there must be a vowel in the centre of the syllable. There is, however, a special
case, that of syllabic consonants; we do not, for example, analyse the word ‘students’ st ju:dnts as
consisting of one syllable with the three-consonant cluster stj for its onset and a four-consonant final
cluster dnts. To fit in with what English speakers feel, we say that the word contains two syllables,
with the second syllable ending with the cluster nts; in other words, we treat the word as though
there was a vowel between d and n, although a vowel only occurs here in very slow, careful
pronunciation.

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