25-09-2016, 05:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 25-09-2016, 05:55 PM by Emma May Smith.)
Hi JKP, I think you have misunderstood the concept of a syllabic consonant.
It is not a consonant that sounds as though it has combined with a vowel. It is not a consonant that only forms a syllable alone.
It is a consonant which takes the position of a vowel in a syllable (the nucleus) on its own, without a vowel. A syllable with a consonant as its nucleus has no vowel. Not an inserted vowel, not a vowel plus consonant, but no vowel whatsoever.
Also, a syllabic consonant is not simply acting like a syllable, but as a proper nucleus. A complex syllable containing multiple other consonants can be built around it. The Czech word for 'finger' is prst. The /r/ is syllabic and forms the sole nucleus in the word, just like the /a/ in English 'past'.
It is not a consonant that sounds as though it has combined with a vowel. It is not a consonant that only forms a syllable alone.
It is a consonant which takes the position of a vowel in a syllable (the nucleus) on its own, without a vowel. A syllable with a consonant as its nucleus has no vowel. Not an inserted vowel, not a vowel plus consonant, but no vowel whatsoever.
Also, a syllabic consonant is not simply acting like a syllable, but as a proper nucleus. A complex syllable containing multiple other consonants can be built around it. The Czech word for 'finger' is prst. The /r/ is syllabic and forms the sole nucleus in the word, just like the /a/ in English 'past'.