Syllabic consonants in English: phonetic and phonological aspects

This paper consists of two parts. In Part I, I begin with a systematic presentation of the occurrence of the five well-known syllabic consonants in English, viz. [m ], [n ], [l], [ŋ ] and [r ], with regard to the various phonetic contexts in which they occur. I discuss what I call ‘covariation’ that syllabic consonants enter into with alternative phonetic forms. I dwell on the question of [r ] as this involves a number of specific points worth discussing. Finally, I take a brief look at more syllabic consonants such as [s], [f], [ʃ ], [b ] and [k ] which occur only sporadically. In Part II, I first make an attempt to see if the commutation test can resolve the question of determining the phonological status of the syllabic consonants, but with a negative conclusion. Putative minimal pairs like coddling (< coddle + ing) and codling (< cod + ling) are dismissed on the grounds that the commutative items should not contain ‘virtual pause’ within them. If this precaution is ignored, one would end up establishing dubious phonemes (e.g. *(/l/) in the English consonant system, which no researchers would endorse. The phenomenon of syllabic consonants is not a paradigmatic matter. It is a syntagmatic matter. A survey is conducted on how some past and present researchers have phonologically interpreted the status of each syllabic consonant in English. There is common agreement that a syllabic consonant is phonologically interpreted as ‘schwa + non-syllabic consonant’. The phonetic fusion of these two phonetic entities is achieved with the vocality (= syllabicity) of the schwa acting on the nonsyllabic consonant. I then offer my own phonological interpretation of the nasal syllabic consonants [n ], [m ] and [ŋ ] which differs in some respects from the traditional interpretation in that homorganicity between the syllabic nasal consonants and certain consonants that precede them bears upon the phonological status of these nasal syllabic consonants. This is because there is involved the neutralization of the opposition between /n/, /m/ and /ŋ/. Finally, the question of how to indicate the syllabic consonants in phonological notations is considered.