OBSTRUENT TYPES AND CONSONANTS

1. Obstruent sounds

A. Definition - an obstruent is a speech sound such as [k], [d͡ʒ], or [f] that is formed by obstructing air flow. Obstruents contrast with sonorants, which have no such obstruction and therefore resonate. All obstruents are consonants, whereas sonorants include vowels and consonants.

THE SYLLABLE AND RHYTHM

1. Syllable

A. Definition - A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants).

WORD ACCENT AND BOUNDARIES

1. Word accent: strong and weak forms

Accent (/ˈæk.sənt, ˈæk.sɛnt/) - is the phonetic prominence given to a particular syllable in a word, or to a particular word within a phrase. When this prominence is produced through greater dynamic force, typically signaled by a combination of amplitude (volume), syllable or vowel length, full articulation of the vowel, and a non-distinctive change in pitch, the result is called stress accent, dynamic accent, or simply stress. When it is produced through pitch alone, it is called pitch accent (although this term is often used with a somewhat different meaning; see below). When it is produced through length alone, it is called quantitative accent. English has stress accent.