Syllable nucleus

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Syllable nucleus

In phonetics

Phonetics

Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds , and the processes of their physiological production, auditory reception, and neurophysiological perception....
and phonology

Phonology

Phonology is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use. Just as a language has syntax and vocabulary, it also has a phonology in the sense of a sound system....
, the nucleus (sometimes called peak) is the central part of the syllable

Syllable

A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of Speech communication sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter....
, most commonly a vowel

Vowel

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**Examples**
Word	Nucleus
at
ed
ode
eet
ite
ain
itten or	or

In phonetics

Phonetics

Phonology

Syllable

A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of Speech communication sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter....
, most commonly a vowel

Vowel

Syllable onset

In phonetics and phonology, a syllable onset is the part of a syllable that precedes the syllable nucleus....
and end with a coda

Syllable coda

In phonology, a syllable coda comprises the consonant sounds of a syllable that follow the syllable nucleus, which is usually a vowel. The combination of a nucleus and a coda is called a syllable rime....
, but in most languages the only part of a syllable that is mandatory is the nucleus. The nucleus and coda form the rime

Syllable rime

In the study of phonology in linguistics, the rime or rhyme of a syllable consists of a Syllable nucleus and an optional Syllable coda. It is the part of the syllable used in Rhyme, and the part that is lengthened or stressed when a person elongates or stresses a word in speech....
of the syllable.

Diphthong

Diphthong

In phonetics, a diphthong, or , is a contour vowel?that is, a unitary vowel that changes vowel quality during its pronunciation, or "glides", with a glissando of the tongue from one articulation to another, as in the English words eye, boy, and cow. This contrasts with "pure" vowels, or monophthongs, where the tongue is held s...
s and triphthong

Triphthong

In phonetics, a triphthong is a syllable vowel combination involving a glissando of the articulator from one vowel quality to another that passes over a third....
s can also serve as the nucleus. Syllables with short vowels as nuclei are sometimes referred to as "light syllables" while syllables with long vowels, diphthongs, or triphthongs as nuclei are referred to as "heavy syllables"; see Syllable weight
Syllable weight

In linguistics, syllable weight is the concept that syllables pattern together according to the number and/or duration of segment s in the syllable rime....
for more discussion.

Sonorant

Sonorant

In phonetics and phonology, a sonorant is a speech sound that is produced without turbulent airflow in the vocal tract. Essentially this means a sound that's "squeezed out" or "spat out" is not a sonorant....
consonants such as liquids

Liquid consonant

Liquid consonants, or liquids, are trill consonants, tap consonant, or approximant consonants that are not classified as semivowels because they do not correspond phonetically to specific vowels ....
(such as and ) and nasals

Nasal consonant

A nasal consonant is produced with a lowered soft palate in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. The oral cavity still acts as a resonance chamber for the sound, but the air does not escape through the mouth as it is blocked by the tongue....
(such as and ) can serve as the nucleus if there is no vowel

Vowel

In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis....
. The nucleus of the last syllable in the final example at right is an example of a sonorant nucleus.

In a small number of languages, the onset may also be mandatory, so that vowel-initial syllables are not found. There are also a few languages such as Nuxalk

Nuxálk language

Nux?lk is a Salishan languages spoken in the vicinity of the Canadian town Bella Coola, British Columbia by approximately 20-30 elders. Until recently, the language was called Bella Coola, but the native designation Nux?lk is now preferred....
and some dialects of Berber

Berber languages

The Berber languages are a group of closely related languages spoken in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, as well as by Berber people communities in parts of Niger and Mali....
, which have some obstruent

Obstruent

An obstruent is a consonant sound formed by obstructing airflow, causing increased air pressure in the vocal tract. In phonetics, Manner of articulation may be divided into two large classes, obstruents and sonorants....
-only words. It is difficult to divide such words into syllables using conventions from other languages; it may be that the concept of 'syllable' doesn't apply, or that syllabic nuclei are optional in these languages.