More on syllabification

Syllables are the way we divide words when we speak. All languages use syllables, but have preferences for certain types of syllables. Not all syllable types are available in all languages. Keep in mind that when we are talking about syllables here, we're referring to the SOUND, not to the SPELLING. Spoken and written syllabification differ in French.

All syllables, no matter the language, have certain parts: the onset and the rime, which is then divided into the nucleus and the coda. The differences between languages lies in where the various sounds are allowed to live.

In all languages, vowels live in the nucleus, and without the nucleus, there is no syllable. So this means that the vowel is the crucial part of the syllable: no vowel means no syllable. In French, only one vowel at a time can live in the nucleus.

The onset is the part that comes before the nucleus. Usually, consonants and semivowels live there; with different languages allowing different combinations. In French, consonants that live in the onset must be in this order:

stop or fricative > l or r > semivowel

Not all of these sounds must be present, but those that are there must be in that order. An onset can also be empty, that is, nothing lives there. And at the beginning of words, the stop or fricative can be preceded by [s].

Sound combinations that can appear neither in the onset nor the nucleus live in the coda, which follows the nucleus. French speakers prefer to have nothing in the coda; such syllables are called open syllables. If there is something in the coda, the syllable is closed.

Let's look at some examples.

• buffet --> bu ffet
  • Both syllables are open (nothing in the coda).
  • There is one SOUND in the onset.
• écho --> é cho
  • Both syllables are open.
  • The first syllable has an empty onset (in fact, it consists only of the nucleus).
  • The second syllable has one SOUND in the onset.
• gracieuse --> gra cieuse
  • The first syllable is open, with a stop+r cluster in the onset.
  • The second syllable is closed, with the [z] sound in the coda.
  • The onset contains a fricative + semivowel.
• capable --> ca pable
  • The first syllable is open, with one sound in the onset.
  • The second syllable is closed, with two sounds in the coda.
  • The onset of the second syllable contains one sound.
• cartel --> car tel
  • Both syllables are closed and each has one sound in the onset. Note that [rt] is not allowable in the onset, so they must be separated. The [r] is in the coda of the first syllable.
  • The second syllable is also closed with [l].
• intrigue --> in trigue
  • The first syllable is open (the vowel is a nasal vowel, so the {n} is not pronounced).
  • The second syllable is a closed syllable. Note that [tr] is an allowable onset, so that cluster begins the second syllable.
  • The second syllable is closed by [g].