How to read a closed syllable in English. Closed and open syllables in English: what do they affect
Consider an open and closed syllable in English. As you already understood, reading vowels in English is closely related to this concept.
The main focus here is that vowels can be pronounced differently depending on which syllable they are in. There are two syllables in English: open and closed.
Open syllable in English
What is open syllable? This is the syllable that ends in a vowel (more often it is e, but it is not pronounced by itself). In such a syllable, vowels are read only as they are called in the alphabet (see table No. 1).
π m e
[M AND:] "to me" ;
πn i ce [N AI C] "pleasant";
πsk y
[SK AI] "sky";
πs o da [CO At DE] "carbonated drink".
Closed syllable in English
Finally, consider the vowels in closed syllable. Here their pronunciation may seem more familiar to you, perhaps with the exception of the letter u, which is pronounced like a sound similar to [A]. A letter a- [E] (see table No. 2).
πl i p[L AND P] "lip";
π b u t[B A T] "but";
πp e t [P E T] "pet";
π h o t [X O T] "hot".
Comment: Consonants at the end of words in a closed syllable are not stunned, as in Russian. So, we write "horn", and pronounce [ROK]. There is no such thing in English, otherwise there would be confusion:
πma d [ME D] "crazy" - πma t [ME T] "mat".
Letter combinations require special attention r(see table number 3):
Examples of words with syllables from the table:
π bar[BA:] "bar";
π her[HYO:] "her"
π fir[FYO:] "spruce";
π for[FO:] "for";
π fur[FYO:] "wool";
π Byrne [BY:N] "Byrn" (proper name).
The letter itself r is not pronounced, and the vowel before it is pronounced for a long time.
The pronunciation of words, in any language, is largely determined by the rules of syllable division. Having understood the basic provisions, you will not only learn the rules of competent transfer, but also begin to understand the language better.
The practical necessity of syllable division
A syllable is a phonetic-phonological unit. Simply put, it stands out only during pronunciation, but does not play any role in semantic word formation. Therefore, this unit is called pronunciation.
The easiest way for native Russian speakers to understand the rules for dividing words in English is with the help of an analogy. The fact is that the norms for highlighting syllables in both languages ββare similar. The main similarity of syllable division is the leading role of vowels, they are called syllable-forming.
A simple way to divide words is told in elementary school. The hand is brought to the chin, after which the word is pronounced. The number of touches of the chin of the hand determines the number of syllables.
Rules for syllable division in English
Depending on the sound the word ends with, open and closed syllables are distinguished. Open ones always end in vowels. In addition, when a syllable is formed by a long stressed vowel or diphthong, it will also be open.
Closed syllables always end in a consonant. If the syllable is formed by a short vowel, it will also be closed.
The main feature of syllable division is the need to separate the word not from the beginning, but from the end. The rules of syllable division of the English language become more understandable when studying specific examples.
1. As a rule, the number of syllables depends on the vowels used: po-ta-to.
2. The presence of already one vowel forms a syllable: a-bo-ut.
3. Two consonants on the border of a syllable are the basis for division into parts: po-et.
4. A word that has several vowels formed by a diphthong, i.e. one sound, has only one syllable: like, it cannot be divided into parts.
5. The appearance of a consonant at the syllable boundary leads to its separation into the second syllable: i-ma-gine, if several consonants appear at the junction, then the first one is attributed to one syllable, and the rest to another: ab-sent.
6. Syllables are formed by the combination -er, located after w: flow-er.
7. The appearance of the letter l on the border of syllables refers it to the next syllable, together with the adjacent consonant: ta-ble.
8. The consonant combinations ld and nd draw a syllable boundary in front of them: mi-ld, ki-nd.
Syllabification and its role:
1. Norms of correct transfer. It is thanks to the knowledge of the provisions of syllable division that one can competently divide words into parts that need to be highlighted in writing when transferring between lines.
2. Criteria for dividing a word into components. In English, there is no single norm for syllable division, therefore, morphological, phonetic or spelling principles of division can be used.
3. Language development. The ongoing processes of correlation of syllogomorphism set new parameters for dividing words.
We have outlined the basic rules for syllable division in the English language. In general, they are quite simple and do not present any particular difficulties for mastering. Although, everyone who seeks to improve their language and write correctly, it is necessary not only to learn them, but also to understand them.
A short and clear course on syllable division
As a rule, the modern standard English school curriculum does not provide for some important points in learning, and among them is the ability to determine the type of syllable and, accordingly, correctly read the entire word. How to do it?
Syllables in English
Some theoretical aspects of linguistics are not always required for beginners. Perhaps, among the optional skills for those who do not study English at a professional level, is syllable division. Usually this does not present serious difficulties, but in this case it is necessary to know the basic rules, since they differ significantly from those accepted in Russian phonetics.
The general rule is that the number of syllables corresponds to the number of vowels. This means that you should not look at the letters, but listen to the pronunciation of the word, since silent vowels, diphthongs, etc. are abundant in English. In addition, the so-called sonorous consonants can also be syllabic, so the word "mild" will turn out to be divided thus: mi|ld. It will become clear later why this is so.
Syllable division is made from the end of the word: student - stu|dent, money - mo|ney, permission - per|mis|sion.
A consonant that is on the border of two syllables is thus adjacent to the vowel that follows it. Doubled sounds are divided. All this matters if you need to figure out how to pronounce this or that unfamiliar word. Also, for this you need to know about closed and open syllables in English.
Impact on reading rules
The types of syllables in English differ from the classification in Russian. Four varieties are distinguished here, while in others, as a rule, only two.
First, it is an open syllable. In English, it ends in At the same time, the rules of reading come into play.
The second type is a closed syllable. It ends with one or more consonants (with the exception of "r"). In this case, the vowels are read briefly.
The third and fourth types of syllables are conditionally open. They end in "r" or "re", while the preceding vowels are read in a special way, which will be discussed below.
Of course, there are exceptions to all rules. Closed and open syllables in English are not a guarantee that vowels will be read one way or another. However, such cases are not very common.
By the way, first of all, you need to determine the stressed syllable for the word, because whether it is open or closed is of paramount importance. The vowels in the rest, as a rule, are pronounced quite neutrally or even become mute. But there are usually problems with stresses, because English is one of the languages ββ\u200b\u200bwith their free arrangement.
open
This type of syllables includes those that end in a vowel. Analyzing a word visually, it is imperative to take into account the presence of a mute "e" at the end, since it is it that opens the previous syllable.
In this case, most of the vowels are diphthongs.
The general rules for reading in this case will be as follows:
A - pale, name;
E - to be, she;
I - to bite, kite;
O - to go, so;
U - to use, pupil;
Y - to type.
But this does not always work, for example, in the word "to come" phonetically "o" does not comply with the accepted rules, despite the presence of a mute "e" at the end of the word. In this case, it is read according to the principle of a closed syllable. What is this principle?
Closed
Syllables of this type, unlike open ones, always end in consonants (except for r).
Accordingly, the vowels in this case are pronounced briefly and easily.
A [Γ¦] - bad, cat;
E [e] - to let, pen;
I [i] - list, to sit;
O [Ι] - to lock, pot;
U [Κ] - must, sun;
A closed syllable in English is perhaps somewhat less common than an open one. This happens precisely due to the fact that there is often a mute "e" at the end of the word. But closed and open syllables in English, unlike Russian, are not the only types. There are two more varieties that are not always considered. But their features are also important to consider when studying the rules for reading vowels.
Conditionally open
These two types of syllables are sometimes also called semi-closed. They end in "r" or "re". In theory, in this case it will be, respectively, closed and open syllables. In English, everything is different, and vowels, being in front of these letter combinations, acquire a new, more complex sound, before "re" some of them even become diphthongs.
In the first case, if we are talking about syllables ending in r, everything will be like this:
A - park, dark;
E [Ι:] - term, her;
I [Ι:] - bird;
O [Ι:] - port, short, world;
U [Ι:] - to burn;
Y [Ι:] - Myrtle.
In the second, if there is "re" after the vowels, they will sound differently:
A [ΙΙ] - to care, nightmare;
E - here, mere;
I - fire;
O [Ι:] - core;
U - cure, sure, pure;
Y-tyre.
In addition to the fact that open and closed syllables in English, as well as the third and fourth types affect the reading of certain vowels, there are a huge number of letter combinations that also have a special sound. This knowledge can be obtained both in theory, and simply memorize the transcription of words, meeting them in practice.
For simple use of the language in everyday communication or correspondence, you may not know such subtleties as the rules for dividing words and classifying syllables.
The rules for reading vowels have so many exceptions that they almost lose their meaning. That is why closed and open syllables in English are more interesting and useful for linguists than for ordinary people.
First, let's find out what is different open syllable in English from the closed one and using examples, let's see how to read letters correctly in a particular syllable.
Open syllable in English
If a word ends in a vowel, then it is an open syllable.
name - name
my - my
take - take
You have probably already noticed that in almost all cases, the vowel e at the end of the word is mute (unreadable). Let's now take a closer look at how to correctly read vowels in an open stressed syllable.
In an open syllable, all vowels are read as in the alphabet. The exception is the letter y . There are 6 vowels in the alphabet. Let's look at each of them in the table below.
English vowels and examples of their pronunciation in words
aa
name - name
lake - lake
say - to say
As you have already noticed, the last vowel in the English word is not readable. She only says that the first vowel in the word should be read as in the alphabet.
ee
be - to be
me - me
settle - bench
In most prepositions, we pronounce the last vowel, as in the example with the preposition be (to be) and me (me).
II
nice - to be
like - me
line - bench
Oh
no - no
nose - nose
go - go, go
Uu
mute - mute
tune - tune
Yy
my - my
skype - skype
The vowel y in the English word conveys the sound despite the fact that it has a transcription.
Closed syllable in English.
If a word ends in a consonant, then it is closed syllable.
pen - pen
good [Ι‘Κd] - good
sit - to sit
Let's analyze the rules for reading each vowel separately in closed syllable in English.
English vowels and examples of their pronunciation in a closed syllable
aa
bad - bad
dad - dad
back - back
black - black
flat - flat
The letter Aa in a closed stressed syllable is read as a sound [Γ¦]. This sound is similar to something between Russian A and E. In the examples, you can clearly hear how to pronounce this sound. Practice well before moving on to the next letter.
Oh
stop - stop
box - box
from - from, from
shop
hot - hot
Letter Oo in a closed stressed syllable is read as a sound [Ι]. This sound is similar to the Russian sound Oh, but in Russian, when we pronounce Oh, we stretch our lips forward, in English, when pronouncing the sound [Ι], the lips do not stretch forward. The examples clearly audible how to pronounce this sound.
II
big - big
film - film
milk - milk
sit - to sit
fish - fish
The letter Ii in a closed stressed syllable is read as a sound [I]. This sound is similar to the Russian sound I. In the examples, you can clearly hear how to pronounce this sound.
ee
best - the best
bed - bed
dress - dress
egg - egg
get - receive
The letter Ee in a closed stressed syllable is read as a sound [e]. This sound is similar to the Russian sound E. In the examples, you can clearly hear how to pronounce this sound.
Uu
cup - a cup
sun - the sun
run - to run
fun - fun
up - up
The letter Uu in a closed stressed syllable is read as a [Κ] sound. This sound is similar to the Russian sound A, but in English it is more tense. The examples clearly audible how to pronounce this sound.
Yy
gym - gym
myth - myth
rhythm - rhythm
The letter Yy in a closed stressed syllable is read in the same way as the letter Ii. This sound is similar to the Russian sound I. In the examples, you can clearly hear how to pronounce this sound.
Useful
A diphthong is when one letter contains two sounds. For example, in the letter a, two sounds.
Open closed syllable in English: exercises
Now let's practice a little. Choose which of the sounds is present in the word.
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