Syllable
| This section requires expansion. |
Stems. The stems (e.g. noun stems, verb stems, etc.) have the following syllable types:
- CV(ː)(T)(C)
That is, all syllables must have a consonant onset C, a vowel nucleus V. The syllable may carry a high tone T, the vowel nucleus may be short or long, and there may optionally be a consonant coda.
Prefixes. Prefixes typically have a syllable structure of CV-, such as chʼí- "out horizontally". Exceptions to this are certain verbal prefixes, such as the classifiers (-ł-, -l-, -d-) that occur directly before the verb stem, which consist of a single consonant -C-. A few other verbal prefixes, such as naa- "around, about" on the outer left edge of the verb have long vowels, CVV-. A few prefixes have more complex syllable shapes, such as hashtʼe- "ready, prepared" (CVCCV-). Prefixes do not carry tone.
In some analyses, such as that of Harry Hoijer, consider conjunct verbal prefixes to have the syllable shape CV-. In other generative analyses (e.g. McDonough 2003), the same prefixes are considered to have only underlying consonants of the shape C-. Then, in certain environments, an epenthetic vowel (the default vowel is i) is inserted after the consonantal prefix.
Read more about this topic: Navajo Phonology
Famous quotes containing the word syllable:
“It was a purely wild and primitive American sound, as much as the barking of a chickaree, and I could not understand a syllable of it.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“Seyton. The Queen, my lord, is dead.
Macbeth. She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.—
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”
—Victor Hugo (1802–1885)