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Glite Dictionary
nonsyllabic

nonsyllabic

9.2
A sound that cannot be a syllable by itself
  • adjective
  • /ˌnɒnˈsɪləbɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : no silábico
  • Some English consonants can appear in both syllabic and nonsyllabic forms depending on their position in a word.

Examples

  • In the word 'little', the initial nonsyllabic 'l' is followed by a syllabic one.

  • The letter 'r' is considered nonsyllabic in many words.

  • Phonetics students must learn to identify nonsyllabic sounds in various languages.

  • In linguistics, nonsyllabic sounds play a crucial role.

  • In the word 'table', the letter 't' is a nonsyllabic sound that cannot stand alone as a syllable.

  • Linguists often analyze nonsyllabic sounds to understand their function in speech.

  • The nonsyllabic nature of certain consonants can affect pronunciation in different dialects.

Synonyms

unsyllabic
vsnonsyllabic
  • Specialized
9.9

A sound that does not make its own syllable

is identical in sense but differs in which negative prefix is used

Antonyms

syllabic
  • Specialized
1 5.8

Relating to syllables in speech, writing, or music

syllabic
  • Specialized
1 7.3

A sound that forms the main part of a syllable, often a vowel

How Syllabic

syllabic
  • Specialized
1 7.3
nonsyllabic
  • Specialized
9.2

Surface Forms

nonsyllabic positive

Morphology

nonsyllabic = syllabic (transparent) = non + syllab + ic

The adjective 'syllabic' is derived from 'syllable' + '-ic' with a stem change (syllable → syllab-), which may slightly obscure the connection for some learners.

Etymology

The word nonsyllabic is made of non- 'not' and syllabic (from syllable, meaning 'a single unit of sound'). So a nonsyllabic sound is 'not' a full syllable and cannot be the main sound that stands alone.