Now if a sound with good carrying power has for its neighbours sounds that do not carry far, it helps them to be heard; notice how such weakly sonorous sounds as [t] or [p] occurring in the words of a song are quite clearly heard at the other end of a large concert hall. They are carried along by the full sounding vowels, as the greater volume of air employed causes more pressure, and hence a more forcible and louder release. It is the sounds of greater sonority that carry the syllable, which term is also applied to a vowel standing alone, or beside other vowels of practically equal sonority. In English, the syllable is generally carried by vowels; sometimes also by liquids and nasals, which are then called syllabic.[69]
Rules for dividing words into syllables are given in most grammars, and are required for writing and printing; but they do not always represent the actual state of things. When a consonant comes between two vowels, it really belongs to both syllables. In leaving we pronounce neither lea-ving nor leav-ing.
From the phonetic point of view we may think of words and groups of words as consisting of a series of sounds of varying sonority. We may indicate the sonority very roughly by lines; if we connect their top ends, we shall obtain a curve. Thus the word sonority might be represented as follows (no attempt is here made at scientific accuracy).
sonority
The curves will represent a series of waves; and each of these waves is a syllable.
Began: notice the quality of the vowel in the first, unstressed syllable of this word. It is higher than any real e sound, and is very laxly articulated. It occurs also in before, enough, inquire; find other words in which it occurs. Is it the same sound as the second vowel in lily?
To sing: read the sixth line quite naturally and see whether you say [tə] or [tu]; get friends to read it, and find out what they say.