On the Analysis of English Syllabics

Abstract

1. English phonetic theory has always recognized a dichotomy between simple or short vowels on the one hand and diphthongs and long vowels on the other. More recently phonemic theory has posed the problem whether the non-short syllabics are unit phonemes or sequences of two phonemes each. Both possible answers have been given: Trubetzkoy, for example, treated them as units; Trager and Bloch held that they are groups.' I myself once considered the analytic treatment inconsistent with the facts, at least with reference to 'General American', but have since discovered that my previous conviction was based on an error. While I now agree with Trager and Bloch on the fundamental correctness of analyzing the diphthongs and long vowels, there are some aspects of the problem that they failed to consider or, in my estimation, treated incorrectly. It is therefore worth while to take up again the different phases of the question in order to determine what conclusions can now be drawn. Sounds and forms are cited thruout this article in a slightly modified version of Sweet's broad transcription, differing from it mainly by using e and a in place of se and o, and also ii uu ea oa in place of ij uw e a. I believe this is the most convenient orthography for general purposes, regardless of what one may conclude regarding the question of analysis.