, Q#. 02 Suprasegmental features of English
Suprasegmental Features of English:
Suprasegmental features are the features of speech that go beyond single sounds (consonants
and vowels).
They deal with how we speak, not just what sounds we use
Main suprasegmental features:
● Syllable
● Stress
● Intonation
● Rhythm
They add meaning, emotion, and natural flow to speech.
1. Syllable and Stress:
(a) Syllable:
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that usually has one vowel sound.
Examples:
cat → 1 syllable
teacher → 2 syllables (tea-cher)
beautiful → 3 syllables (beau-ti-ful)
Structure of a syllable:
● Onset (beginning consonant)
● Nucleus (vowel – most important part)
● Coda (ending consonant)
Example: cat
/k/ = onset
/æ/ = nucleus
/t/ = coda
(b) Stress:
Stress means giving extra emphasis to a syllable.
A stressed syllable is:
● louder
● longer
● clearer
Types:
● Word stress
● Sentence stress
Examples:
TAble (stress on first syllable)
beGIN (stress on second syllable)
Changing stress can change meaning:
REcord (noun)
reCORD (verb)
Suprasegmental Features of English:
Suprasegmental features are the features of speech that go beyond single sounds (consonants
and vowels).
They deal with how we speak, not just what sounds we use
Main suprasegmental features:
● Syllable
● Stress
● Intonation
● Rhythm
They add meaning, emotion, and natural flow to speech.
1. Syllable and Stress:
(a) Syllable:
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation that usually has one vowel sound.
Examples:
cat → 1 syllable
teacher → 2 syllables (tea-cher)
beautiful → 3 syllables (beau-ti-ful)
Structure of a syllable:
● Onset (beginning consonant)
● Nucleus (vowel – most important part)
● Coda (ending consonant)
Example: cat
/k/ = onset
/æ/ = nucleus
/t/ = coda
(b) Stress:
Stress means giving extra emphasis to a syllable.
A stressed syllable is:
● louder
● longer
● clearer
Types:
● Word stress
● Sentence stress
Examples:
TAble (stress on first syllable)
beGIN (stress on second syllable)
Changing stress can change meaning:
REcord (noun)
reCORD (verb)
