SONORITY AND SYLLABLE STRUCTURE

Sonority and Syllable Structure

Sonority and Syllable Structure

Onset maximization

The intrasyllabic sonority sequencing would not be violated by a syllabification 'attractive' since regard to sonority, 'att' and 'ra' would be mountain-shaped. Another syllabification principle followed by some languages would be infringed by such a syllabification. In English, the rule that onsets should be maximized meaning that it should be created as big such that it is agreeable among all other syllabification values including sonority sequencing paramount. Thus, because of the onset maximization, 'attractive' will be syllabified as 'a.ttractive' and not 'att.ractive'. Similarly, 'algebra' should be syllabified as 'alge.bra' ...