The rule of division into syllables and the transfer of words

When someone starts learning to read or learn a foreign language, at first he needs to learn the letters. Then syllables are constructed from the studied letters, later words, sentences, and so on. And although it often seems that the syllable is just another tiny step on the way to learning the secrets of the language and that it is very small and plays an insignificant role, much depends on the ability to correctly divide words and transfer them. Therefore, knowing the rule of division into syllables is very important, because without this a person can not fully master the letter.

Syllable - what is it?

Before you learn how to divide into syllables, it is necessary to understand what it is. A syllable is a minimal spoken unit of speech consisting of one or more sounds. In other words, a syllable can be called a combination of sounds, which is pronounced for one exhalation.

In Russian and English, only vowels (they are called syllabic) 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-ya" there are 3 vowels, and consequently, the word is divided into three syllables.

Why you need a syllable

Despite the apparent simplicity, the study of the syllable for many years, engaged in the most prominent linguistic scientists. Some of them expressed the theory that the syllable does not mean anything. However, they were wrong. Unlike the word division for the transfer, which helps to write correctly, the division of words into syllables is not so important for spelling. But the correct pronunciation of words by a person depends on it, and this is of great importance in the study of a foreign language. Thus, in English, the type of syllable affects the pronunciation of vowels. In native language, it contributes to beautiful and competent speech. In addition, do not forget about the huge role that syllables play in versification. After all, all the systems of versification rely on certain of their properties.

Types of syllables of the Russian language by location and structure

To master the rule of division into syllables, it is necessary to know what kinds of it exist in one or another of the studied languages. In Russian, the types of syllables are distinguished by their location in the word, by the structure of the syllable, with respect to stress and sonority (tone).

So, at the location of the syllables are divided into: the initial, middle and final.

By structure, syllables are divided into the following types:

1) Open - ends with a vowel sound. For example, the word "Ka-te-ri-na" consists of four syllables, all of which end in vowel sounds, so all these syllables are open.

2) Closed - ends with a consonant sound. For example, in the word "Mar-ga-ri-ta" there are four vowels, and hence four syllables. The first terminates on the consonant "p" and is closed, all the rest - on the vowels and are open.

It should be noted that in the Russian language the lion's share is made up of open syllables, which makes the speech very pleasant. At the same time, there are many closed ones in Russian.

Depending on which letter is at the beginning of the syllable, isolate the covered (with the consonant) and the undisguised (with the vowel) species. For example, the word "ar-buz", in this case the first syllable is naked, and the second is covered.

Types of syllables of the Russian language in relation to stress and sonority

According to the accent, the syllables of the Russian language, as well as in most others, are divided into percussion and unstressed. You can also distinguish and pre-shock and zadarnye.

By sonority it is singled out:

1) Constant sonority - in such syllables there is only one letter: "Aya".

2) Ascending sonority - such a syllable consists of two or more letters, in it the degree of sonority increases from a consonant to a vowel. In the same "A-Xia" example, in the second syllable the sonority increases from "c" to "a".

3) Downward sonority - in this syllable the sonority falls from the vowel to the consonant. This characteristic is most suitable for closed syllables. In the name "Ba-hti-yar", the first two syllables with rising sonority, and the last - with the descending.

4) Ascending-descending - at first the sonority grows, and towards the end of the syllable becomes descending: "Spar-ta."

5) Descending-ascending - at the beginning of the syllable the sonority falls, and then again it goes back: "acre".

Main types of syllables in English

As for the Russian language, English is characterized by the division of syllable (syllable) into percussion (falls accentuation) and unstressed (not stressed). However, for the language of the British this is more important than for our language, because only six vowels of the English language transmit as many as twenty-four sounds - each letter has four variants of reading and it is the type of the stressed syllable that determines what sound the letter will transmit in this case.

Syllables in English are divided into six types:

1) Closed (closed) - ends with a consonant (except for "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 (open) - as in Russian, the syllable ends in a vowel, and it is read in the same way as it is represented in the alphabet. For example, the word "ze-ro" consists of two open syllables.

3) With unpronounceable "e" (silent-e) - this letter is not pronounced, although it creates a syllable. Its main role is to give the main vowel of a longer sound: "smi-le" - two syllables, with one pronounced vowel. Some linguists combine this form with the previous one.

4) With a stressed vowel and "r" (r-controlled) - in this syllable the "r" consonant is not readable, but signals that the vowel before it will be long: "warm".

5) With a group of vowels (vowel team) - this syllable consists of several vowels, which are often pronounced as one long sound and mean one syllable ("clean"), sometimes as "bread", and sometimes even two sounds "Boy"). This type is due to the peculiarities of the English language and has no analogues in Russian.

6) With the consonant and "le" (consonant + le) - this type of syllable can be selected only in polysyllabic words, for example, "little". When pronouncing "e" becomes deaf, so sometimes this view is not allocated as a separate one, but is combined with silent-e.

To memorize all kinds of syllables of the English language use the mnemonic word "CLOVER".

Additional types of syllables in English

It is worth noting that, along with the main types of syllables, in the English language, there are sometimes isolated additional ones. To such belongs the seventh kind of syllable - with unpronounceable "r" after a vowel under stress and before "e" (vowel + re), where "r" is not pronounced, for example, in "fire".

Also sometimes the vowel team sorts the view with diphthongs, for example, "look".

Rules of division into syllables in Russian

In our language, it is much easier to divide words into syllables 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-zyk", in the word two syllables, but when the word is translated it becomes an inseparable syllable and can not be transferred.

A syllable can consist of one (if it is a vowel) and more letters. If there is more than one letter in it, it will start with a consonant, that is, it will be covered. For example, the name "Julia" is divided into "Yu-li-I", not "Yul-i-I".

When there are several consonants in the word in a row (it does not matter whether it is pairing or not), they will refer to the next syllable - they will create a covered syllable. For example, "o-bre-che-nyny", the first letter "e" attracted a combination of "br", but the next "e" could draw "h" to him to get a covert syllable, and "s" got a pair of letters "Nn".

However, if the lettering begins with the sonority (m, m, l, l, n, n, p, p, d), then this sound refers to the previous vowel ("va-ler-yang-ka"). Except for cases with paired sonorities ("kapil-lyar"), which, like any pair of consonants, are not divided.

If there are combinations of consonants in the word that sound like one sound (for example, "mc" / "htc", which is pronounced as [q] or "szh" - a long one [h]), then they can not be separated, they relate entirely to the next The syllable: "we are." But it is worth noting that in this case the division into syllables and the rules of word transfer will be radically different. The same example of "wash" when dividing for transfer will look like this "wash-xia".

In Russian, most syllables are open and, as a rule, are in the middle of the word ("Ma-ri-na"). Closed syllables are almost always in the end ("Vla-di-world"). The exception is closed, which ends in an unparalleled sonorous sound ("I-may-ka"), they can be in the middle of the word.

Rules of division into syllables in English

Strangely enough for English, in this language there are clear rules on the question of syllables.

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 mute. This example illustrates the second rule of division into syllables - unpronounceable vowels can not create syllables, just like one vowel in the composition of a diphthong ("speech" - the diphthong "her" is pronounced as one sound long [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 consonant letters that are pronounced as a single sound): ch, sh, th, wh, ph.

The consonant between the two vowels always refers to the next vowel ("e-vil"), except when this consonant is very short ("cab-in").

The consonant before "le" ([l]) draws to itself the previous consonant: "a-ble", with the exception of the combination "ck" - "tick-le".

As for complex words, then the division of words into syllables (the rule is analogous to the Russian language) also occurs in the basics ("house-boad"). It is also possible to separate suffixes and prefixes ("re-write", "teach-er"). With paired consonants that originated at the root boundary and the "ing" suffix because of the addition of this stop-ping, they are separated.

Rules for translating the words of the Russian language

It would seem that the rules for dividing into syllables and for transferring should be the same, but very often it is not so. The fact is, the division for transfer is based on other principles, although many of them are similar to the principles of leasing.

The main difference is the violation of the principle "the number of vowels = the number of syllables", since when dividing a word for transfer, one letter, including "b", "d", "b" or a vowel, can not be torn. For example, if you divide the word "Na-ta-li-i" by syllables, then there will be four syllables, but if you transfer only three syllables "Na-ta-liya".

When there are several consonants in a word in a word, they can be divided into your own taste: both "te-kstu-ra" and "tek-sta-ra".

Words with abbreviations ("NIINOIN") are forbidden to transfer, but complex words consisting of several bases can be divided into the basics ("special clothes").

When two identical consonants, which are between two vowels, coincide, they are separated ("bezi-me-nany"). 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 "class".

Agree on the end of the root before the suffix should not be torn, although this rule is not strict: "Voronezh".

The last consonant of the prefix is forbidden to tear off from it: "to bear". In the case when the root starts on the vowel, the prefix ("no-failure") is separated, since the first vowel can not be torn from the root, and "s" before the root, after the prefix ("times-skate").

The principles of word translation by syllables in English

As you know, the main feature of this language is that most words in it are written not according to clear rules, but by tradition. Therefore, exceptions are often greater than the rules themselves. The same principle applies to the rule of division into syllables. Since there is no official guidance on this subject in the English grammar, all are guided by examples of word transfer recorded in well-known dictionaries.

Most modern English dictionaries suggest the transfer of words according to the phonetic principle, that is, relying on the division of words into syllables. The rule allows the change of the place of transfer, with the change of the 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, one of the most common suffixes is "ed" and "ing", which are most often transferred, but in some cases are inseparable. Because of this confusion and nuances, most online services generally do not tolerate English words.

Despite all this, it is possible to single out several general principles that will help you to orient yourself, how to transfer this or that English word.

1) If the combination of the vowel + consonant + vowel sounds like one syllable, then it will be transferred (especially for the dumb "e"): "cake".

2) If after a vowel with a short sound there are several consonants, then the transfer is made after the first of them: "his-torical".

3) The transfer of the suffix "ing" is carried out on the same principle as for the slopping.

4) With vowel diphthongs and long vowels at the end of the syllable, the transfer is made immediately after them: "sea-son"

5) The transfer is made after a short vowel (if after it there is one consonant or digraphs "ch", "sh", "th", "wh", "ph"): "per-il".

6) In most cases, prefixes and suffixes in English owls are separated during the transfer: "me-morial".

7) Complex words are transferred in the same way as they are divided into syllables - according to the bases that make up them.

8) Homonyms (words with different meanings, but the same spelling) can be transferred in different ways, depending on the meaning, therefore it is necessary to be attentive: "re-cord", but "rec-ord".

For both Russian and English, syllables are of great importance. The rules of division into syllables and the transfer of words for them are in many respects very similar to each other, although they have a number of differences due to the peculiarities of each. It is worth noting that, knowing the basic rules, understanding their nature and features, you can in many cases by analogy transfer them to another language.