When someone begins to learn to read or learn a foreign language, he must first learn the letters. Then syllables are built from the letters studied, later words, sentences, and so on. And although it often seems that the syllable is just another tiny step on the path to learning the secrets of the language and that it is very small and plays an insignificant role, a lot depends on the ability to correctly divide words and transfer them. Therefore, to know the rule of dividing into syllables is very important, because without this a person cannot fully master a letter.
Syllable - what is it
Before you learn how to divide into syllables, you should understand what it is. A syllable is a minimal unit of speech consisting of one or more sounds. In other words, a syllable can be called a combination of sounds, which is pronounced in one exhale.
In Russian and English, only vowels (called syllables) have the ability to create a syllable, so their number in a word is equal to the number of syllables. For example, in the name “Ma-ri-i” there are 3 vowels, and therefore the word is divided into three syllables.
Why do you need a syllable?
Despite the apparent simplicity, the study of the syllable for many years engaged in the most prominent linguists. Some of them have expressed theories that the syllable does not mean anything. However, they were mistaken. Unlike word division for hyphenation, which helps to write correctly, division of words into syllables is not so important for spelling. But the correct pronunciation of words by a person depends on him, and this is of great importance when studying a foreign language. So, in English, the type of syllable affects the pronunciation of vowels. In the native language, this contributes to a beautiful and competent speech. In addition, do not forget about the huge role that syllables play in versification. After all, all systems of versification are based on certain of their properties.
Types of syllables of the Russian language by location and structure
To master the rule of division into syllables, you need to know what its types exist in a particular language being studied. In Russian, the types of syllables are distinguished by the location in the word, by the structure of the syllable, in relation to stress and sonority (tone).
So, at the location of the syllables are divided into: initial, middle and final.
By structure, syllables are divided into types:
1) Open - ends with a vowel. For example, the word "Ka-te-ri-na" consists of four syllables, they all end in vowels, so all these syllables are open.
2) Closed - ends in a consonant sound. For example, in the word "Mar-ga-ri-ta" there are four vowels, and therefore, four syllables. The first ends with the consonant “p” and is closed, all the rest are vowels and are open.
It is worth noting that in the Russian language the lion's share is made up of open syllables, so that the speech sounds very nice. At the same time, many are closed in the Russian language.
Depending on which letter is at the beginning of the syllable, secret (with a consonant) and undisguised (with a vowel) are distinguished. For example, the word "ar-buz", in this case, the first syllable is undisguised, and the second is hidden.
Types of syllables of the Russian language in relation to stress and sonority
In terms of stress, the syllables of the Russian language, as a matter of fact, are divided into stressed and unstressed in most others. You can also distinguish between pre-shock and shock.
By soundness, they distinguish:
1) Constant sonority - in such syllables there is only one letter: "A-sya."
2) Ascending sonority - such a syllable consists of two or more letters, in it the degree of sonority increases from consonant to vowel. In the same example, “A-sya”, in the second syllable the sonority increases from “c” to “a”.
3) Downward sonority - in this syllable, sonority decreases from a vowel to a consonant. This characteristic is most suitable for closed syllables. In the name “Ba-hti-yar”, the first two syllables with ascending sonority, and the last with descending sonority.
4) Ascending-descending - at first the sonority increases, and towards the end of the syllable it becomes descending: “Spar-ta”.
5) Downward-ascending - at the beginning of the syllable the sonority drops, and then again rises: “acre”.
The main types of syllables in the English language
As for the Russian language, English is characterized by the division of syllables (syllable) into stress (stress falls) and unstressed (stress does not fall). However, this is more important for the British language than for ours, because only six vowels of the English language convey as many as twenty-four sounds - each letter has four reading options and it is the type of stressed syllable that determines what sound the letter will transmit in this case.
Syllables in English are divided into six types:
1) Closed - ends in a consonant (with the exception of “r”).
In such a syllable, the vowel sound is read briefly, a vivid example is the well-known word "dog", consisting of one closed syllable.
2) Open - as in Russian, the syllable ends in a vowel, and it is read in the same way as presented in the alphabet. For example, the word ze-ro consists of two open syllables.
3) With the unpronounceable “e” (silent-e) - this letter is not pronounced, although it creates a syllable. Its main role is to give the main vowel of the word a longer sound: “smi-le” - two syllables, with one pronounced vowel. Some linguists combine this type with the previous one.
4) With stressed vowel and “r” (r-controlled) - in this syllable, the consonant “r” is not read, but signals that the vowel in front of it will be long: “warm”.
5) With a group of vowels (vowel team) - such a syllable consists of several vowels, which are most often pronounced as one long sound and mean one syllable (“clean”), sometimes as short (“bread”), and sometimes even two sounds ( "Boy"). This type is due to the features of the English language and has no analogues in Russian.
6) With a consonant and “le” (consonant + le) - this type of syllable can be distinguished only in polysyllabic words, for example, “little”. When pronouncing “e,” it becomes deaf, so sometimes this species does not stand out as a separate, but combines with silent-e.
To memorize all types of syllables in the English language, the mnemonic word “CLOVER” is used.
Additional Types of Syllables in English
It is worth noting that, along with the main types of syllables, in English, sometimes additional ones are distinguished. These include the seventh form of the syllable - with the unpronounceable “r” after the vowel under stress and before the “e” (vowel + re), where “r” is not pronounced, for example, in “fire”.
Also, sometimes a view with diphthongs is separated from the vowel team view, for example, “look”.
Syllable rules in Russian
In our language, dividing words into syllables is much easier than in English, since there are no unpronounceable vowels. The main principle is: how many vowels in a word - so many syllables. For example, the division into syllables “language” occurs as “I-tongue”, there are two syllables in a word, but when transferring a word will become an inextricable syllable and it will not be possible to transfer.
A syllable can consist of one (if it is a vowel) and more letters. If there is more than one letter in it, then it will necessarily begin with a consonant, that is, it will be covered. For example, the name "Julia" is divided by "Yu-li", and not "Yul-i-i."
When there are several consonants in a word in a row (it does not matter if it is paired or not), they will refer to the next syllable - they will create a covered syllable. For example, “o-brechn”, the first letter “e” attracted the combination “br” to itself, however, the next “e” was able to attract “h” to itself, to get a covered syllable, and “y” got a double letter "Nn."
However, if the combination begins with the sonorous (m, m, e, l, n, n, p, p, y), then this sound refers to the previous vowels (“va-le-yan-ka”). Except in cases with paired sonoric (“ca-pi-liar”), which, like any paired consonants, are not shared.
If a word comes across combinations of consonants that sound like one sound (for example, “tf” / “tf”, which is pronounced [t] or “zh” - long [f]), then you cannot disconnect them, they entirely relate to the following the syllable: "we are." But it is worth noting that in this case, the division into syllables and word wrap rules will be radically different. The same example, “wash” in the division for transfer will look like this “wash”.
In the Russian language, most syllables are open and, as a rule, are in the middle of the word ("Ma-ri-na"). Closed syllables are almost always found in the ending (Vla di Mir). An exception is closed, which end in an unpaired sonorous sound ("I-may-ka"), they can be in the middle of the word.
Syllable Rules in English
Oddly enough for English, there are clear rules regarding syllables in this language.
Like the Russian language, the number of vowels is equal to the number of syllables. Therefore, the word “car” consists of one syllable, as well as the word “like”, although “i” in this case means two sounds, and “e” at the end of the word is generally dumb. This example illustrates the second rule of division into syllables - unpronounceable vowels cannot create syllables, as well as one vowel in the diphthong (“speech” - the diphthong “her” is pronounced as one long sound [i], and therefore the whole word is one syllable )
Unlike the Russian language, in English any consonants, including paired ones, are always divided: “din-ner”. The exception is digraphs (a combination of several consonants that are pronounced as one sound) “ch”, “sh”, “th”, “wh”, “ph”.
A consonant between two vowels always refers to the next vowel (“e-vil”), unless the consonant is very short (“cab-in”).
The consonant before “le” ([l]) attracts the previous consonant: “a-ble”, with the exception of the combination “ck” - “tick-le”.
As for complex words, here the division of words into syllables (the rule is similar to the Russian language) is also based on the basics ("house-boad"). You can also separate suffixes and prefixes ("re-write", "teach-er"). When paired consonants arise on the border of the root and the suffix “ing” due to the addition of this suffix (“stop-ping”), they are separated.
Rules for the transfer of words in the Russian language
It would seem that the rules for division into syllables and for transfer should be the same, but very often this is not so. The fact is, the division for the transfer is based on other principles, although many of them are similar to the principles of sografiya.
The main difference is a violation of the principle of “number of vowels = number of syllables”, since when dividing a word for transfer, one letter cannot be torn off, including “b”, “th”, “b” or vowel. For example, if you syllable the word “Na-ta-li-i”, then four syllables will come out, however if you transfer only three syllables “Na-ta-liya”.
When several consonants are in a row in a row, you can separate them to your taste: both “te-kstu-ra” and “tek-stu-ra”.
Abbreviation words (“NIINUINU”) are forbidden to be translated, but complex words, consisting of several foundations, can be divided into foundations (“special clothing”).
With the coincidence of two identical consonants located between two vowels, they are separated (“bezi-myan-ny”). If one of the paired consonants is part of the root, and the other is part of the suffix, then they are left together: “classes”, but “classy”.
The consonant at the end of the root before the suffix should not be torn off, although this rule is not strict: “Voronezh”.
The last consonant of the prefix is forbidden to tear from it: “carry”. In the case when the root begins with a vowel, the prefix itself (“no-fail”) is separated, since the first vowel and the “s” in front of the root after the prefix (“break-out”) cannot be torn off from the root.
Principles of hyphenation of words in English
As you know, the main feature of this language is that most of the words in it are written not according to clear rules, but according to tradition. Therefore, there are often more exceptions than the rules themselves. The same principle applies to the syllable rule. Since there are no official indications of this in the English grammar, everyone is guided by examples of word wrap written in well-known dictionaries.
Most modern English dictionaries offer to transfer words according to the phonetic principle, that is, based on the division of words into syllables. This rule allows a change in the place of transfer, with a change in pronunciation: "bi-o-lo-gi-cal", but "bi-ol-o-gist". Such instability does not allow us to formulate a clear rule for the transfer of suffixes and prefixes of the English language. In particular, some of the most common suffixes are “ed” and “ing”, which are most often carried, but in some cases are inseparable. Due to this confusion and nuances, most online services do not tolerate English words at all.
Despite all this, several general principles can be distinguished that will help you to find out how to transfer this or that English word.
1) If the combination vowel + consonant + vowel sounds like one syllable, then it will be carried over (especially characteristic for the dumb “e”): “cake”.
2) If after the vowel with a short sound there are several consonants, then the transfer is made after the first of them: “his-torical”.
3) Transfer of the suffix “ing” is carried out according to the same principle as in the case of slogozheniye.
4) With vowels diphthongs and long vowels at the end of the syllable, the transfer is made immediately after them: “sea-son”
5) The hyphenation is put after a short vowel (if there is one consonant or digraphs “ch”, “sh”, “th”, “wh”, “ph” after it): “per-il”.
6) In most cases, prefixes and suffixes in English owls are separated during the transfer: “me-morial”.
7) Compound words are transferred in the same way as they are divided into syllables - according to their foundations.
8) Homonyms (words with different meanings, but the same spelling) can be transferred differently, depending on the meaning, so you need to be careful: “re-cord”, but “rec-ord”.
For both Russian and English, syllables are of great importance. The rules for dividing into syllables and word wrapping for them are in many ways very similar to each other, although they have a number of differences due to the characteristics of each. It is worth noting that, knowing the basic rules, understanding their nature and features, it is possible in many cases, by analogy, to transfer them to another language.