© 2007 CLAUSS

(separación de sílaba) Syllable separation in English and Spanish does not work in the same way. Even though it is different, it is absolutely necessary for students to learn the way syllable separation functions in order to speak and understand the language well. There are 2 main rules of syllable separation, but first, lets go over the definition of a syllable.

There are three possible positions within a syllable: 1.El Núcleo (The Nucleus): Every syllable has a Nucleus. This Nucleus must be a vowel. It can exist alone, but is normally accompanied by other vowels or consonants. If there is more than one vowel in a syllable, the nucleus is the most open of the vowels (la más abierta) 2.Prenuclear position or explosive position: Can be a vowel, consonant(s), or a combination of the two, that come before the nucleus in a syllable. 3.Postnuclear position or implosive position: Can be a vowel, consonant(s), or a combination of the two, that come after the nucleus in a syllable.

Tabla de vocales iueoaiueoa vocales altas / cerradas medias baja / abierta anteriorcentralposterior

Estoy en la playa. Es / to / y en / la / pla / ya / núcleo Posición prenuclear (explosiva) Posición postnuclear (implosiva)

You cannot end a syllable with a consonant and start the next syllable with a vowel. Ejemplo: trabajar tra / ba / jar Ejemplo Incorrecto: trabajartrab / a / jar

The only possible consonant groupings allowed at the beginning of a syllable are: p b d t f g k(c) rlrl Ejemplos: br, pl, fr, gr, fl, tr, cr, etc.

Examples of some consonant groupings, both good and bad: trabajarblancogrande despertarllama

ch rr ll These are not considered grouped consonants, and can therefore be at the beginning of a syllable! Ejemplos: chico, arroz, allá

Vowel groupings also exist within a syllable in the form of dipthongs and tripthongs. Normally, dipthongs (diptongos - group of 2 vowels) And tripthongs (triptongos – group of three vowels) are made up of vowels without written accents. diptongotriptongo buenotiene ciudad buey

When one of two adjacent vowels has a written accent It is usually considered a separate syllable. Ejemplos: La nación más poderosa. ¿Quién ha ido? The h is not pronounced. Its as though it were not there. Qu is pronounced like k. They are considered a single sound. Quién therefore, does not have a dipthong.

Notas Adicionales * Syllables can cross the borders of words! Ejemplo: el árbol Separación correcta e / lár / bol Separación incorrecta el / ár / bol

Notas Adicionales * La sílaba cruza las fronteras de la palabra Los diptongos y triptongos no solo se producen dentro de una palabra. Pedro y su hermano están en su casa. triptongos diptongos Viene a Italia.

Notas Adicionales *When one letter is followed by another with the same (or similar) sound, the two letters are considered a single sound. Es una semana agradable. E / su / na / se / ma / na / gra / da / ble /

Notas Adicionales Punctuation (periods, commas, etc.) and other natural pauses in speech (breathing for example) should be marked with a syllable separation. Es una semana agradable. Voy al parque. E / su / na / se / ma / na / gra / da / ble / Vo / yal / par / que /

** There is a strong tendancy towards an open syllable (syllable that ends in a vowel) In the Spanish language. Well talk more about this later…

The problem most students have is that they have learned to speak in words and expect to hear words in return. Students should learn to speak connectively and expect to hear the same thing in return. But, in spoken Spanish many words are connected by syllables to adjacent words, making them harder to recognize.

¿Sabes lo que me pasa? que no entiendo, no entiendo, no entiendo, que te pasó. ¿Te enamoraste de Manuel? Porque eso yo podría llegar a entenderlo, él es un hombre atractivo eeh, irresistible en realidad. Eh es un encanto de persona.

No, sí, me importa. Me importa más cuando juega Argentina en realidad. Los demás partidos no me interesan, pero cuando juega Argentina me pongo la camiseta y allí voy.