Syllabic consonants /m/, /l/, and /n/

A syllabic consonant or vocalic consonant is a consonant that forms a syllable on its own, like the m, n, and l in the English words rhythm, button, and bottle respectively.

Ideally, a syllable should contain a vowel. Therefore, A syllable with no vowel will invariably have a syllabic consonant.

This means that syllabic consonants do not necessarily need a vowel to exist. Simply put, A syllabic consonant is a consonant that replaces a vowel in a syllable.

There is always an optional schwa /ə/ in that syllable. Let’s consider some words with syllabic consonant /l/.

• metal /ˈmɛt(ə)l/, terrible /ˈtɛrɪb(ə)l/, wonderful /wʌndəf(ə)/, channel /’tʃan(ə)l/, panel /ˈpan(ə)l/, sandal /ˈsand(ə)l/ etc

It is interesting to note that the essence of studying syllabic consonants is to prescribe some rules guiding the correct pronunciation of these words that have syllabic consonants.

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For example, in the examples above, you will realize that the endings -ble, -tal, -ful, -nel, and -dal are syllabic consonants that are not pronounced as an ordinary Nigerian would.

• fatal /ˈfeɪt(ə)l/, castle /ˈkɑːs(ə)l/, playful /pleɪf(ə)l/, social /ˈsəʊʃ(ə)l/ etc.

Other words are model, total, bottle, local, little, people, couple, hospital, title, struggle, etc.

Let’s consider some words with syllabic consonant /n/

• sudden, spoken, listen, reason, garden, certain, fasten, button, person, written

• For the syllabic consonant /n/, we have endings like -ken, -den, -ten, -ton, and -tain.

Other words are ‘threaten’, heaven, kitten, student, even, seven, election, Britain, etc

Let’s consider some words with syllabic consonant /m/

• feudalism /ˈfju:dəˌlɪz(ə)m/, heroism /ˈhɛrəʊɪz(ə)m/, Journalism /ˈdʒəːn(ə)lɪz(ə)m/, from /frɒm, frəm/, etc.

It is important to note here that any syllable that carries a schwa sound cannot be stressed. Schwa /ə/ is never stressed, yet it’s almost everywhere. It’s just a great guy! No stress!

Let me round up round off this article by writing that the study of syllabic consonants is essential for us not to pronounce BU in terrible, KUN in spoken, TAL in fatal, NEL in channel, panel or colonel /ˈkəːn(ə)l/, TU in kettle or bottle, DEL in model and DENT in student. I hope you get what I’m driving at here.