What are Syllabic Consonants? | English Phonology

Billie English - the YouTube channel to help you improve your English pronunciation, speaking and fluency! Billie is a certified CELTA English teacher trainer and has over 17 years of teaching experience. Learn more about syllabic consonants in this video.

★★ SUBSCRIBE TO MY CHANNEL HERE ★★

★★ TRY OUT ELSA SPEAK PRO ★★
💛 You will receive a 30% discount on the ELSA speak PRO 1-year pack, and an 80% discount on the ELSA speak PRO lifetime pack through my page 💛
Disclosure: This is an affiliate link and I may earn a commission at no cost to you.

★★ POPULAR VIDEOS ★★

What is a syllable?
.
Syllable structure: What are onset, nucleus & coda?
.
The Vowel Chart
.
Connected Speech: Assimilation, Elision & Intrusion
.
Stress-timed vs. syllable-timed languages
.
Sentence Stress in English
.
Video on The Phonemic Chart (vowels, diphthongs & consonants):

Thank you for watching and following my channel ♥

★★ TIME STAMPS ★★
0:00 What are syllabic consonants? INTRO
2:57 Syllabic-m examples
4:51 Syllabic-n examples
6:02 Syllanic-ŋ example
7:25 Syllabic-l examples
8:26 Syllabic-r example
10:03 Summary

★★ WHAT THIS VIDEO IS ABOUT★★

In this video we are going to have a look at syllabic consonants. Usually a syllable is made up of a nucleus (= the peak or core), always consisting of exactly one vowel sound, as well as some consonants before (= the onset) and possibly after (= the coda). However, in some circumstances when the vowel sound in the nucleus is an unstressed schwa sound, the syllable can undergo a transformation: the schwa becomes so short it virtually disappears and what is left is a consonant with the quality of a vowel sound = a syllabic consonant. In English only the three nasals /m/, /n/ and /ŋ/ as well as the two liquids /l/ and /r/ can become syllabic consonants. We are going to have a look over example words for each sound and at the end I even show you a few words with several syllabic consonants! They are much more common than you think! And why do they appear … well, as always: it’s down to fast natural speech and the fact that English is a stress-timed language. Find out more about what this means and other features of connected speech in English in the other videos on my channel (see links above).

★★ ABOUT BILLIE ★★

Billie is a pronunciation coach and content creator based in Barcelona, Spain. Her main focus is English pronunciation, phonology and helping learners speak more fluently. Billie has a degree in Communication Research & Phonology, a PGCE in Primary Education, a Trinity College Cert & DiplomaTESOL and over 17 years of teaching experience. She also works as a CELTA teacher trainer, Cambridge examiner and educational advisor. Her videos have been featured in the Google funded AI app ELSA speak.

#syllabicconsonants #pronunciation #phonology

[BillieEnglish]

🚀 Improve Your English with Billie’s Expert Classes! 🌟 📅 Sign up now and start your journey to English proficiency today!
🔹 Pronunciation Mastery: Speak clearly and confidently.
🔹 Effective Communication: Enhance your fluency and interaction.
🔹 Cambridge Exam Prep: Achieve top scores with my strategic guidance.
Book one of my classes and elevate your skills to the next level! 📚✨

[AbdulRahmanOM-gd]

She is the coolest and calmest teacher who always has a charm and light in her eyes and in her teaching. Reading her bio didn't surprise me; she has an in-depth experience in her profession. NOTHING BUT WOWWW! Thank you, Ellie. I am 29 and based in South India. I wish I had a teacher like you in my childhood. You are blessed, indeed.

[seifalnasr]

I can't thank you enough, ma'am. I think your channel is the best at teaching phonetics ever on youtube. When you tackle a particular topic, I think one needn't search for something else. You are really experienced and sophisticated. I wish you good.

[Sara-ysmt]

I'm studying for my exam ... you are better than my prof !!!!❤❤ thanks a lot !

[othmanbouzidi]

Im a university student, and I've been struggling with this lesson, Thank you a lot.

[yancyliu]

Thank you very much. Because of watching you video, I have passed the exam and study in the UK now. I am very grateful for your videos.

[elisacarbajal]

Thank you for your explanation, you are so lovely giving the class! 💝

[NoorNoorelHudaNoorelHoda]

Thank youu Miss I really like the way you've explained ❤❤❤

[paulshuen]

Thank you for your clear explanation of this English oddity.

[Masso]

Hi
What is the different between the right /r/ and the up side down /r/?
Please

[shafeehannan]

I pay my heartfelt grattitude to you mam..Your channel is one of best channels.. Thank you soo much ❤

[sheepmili]

thanks a lot Billie. God send you to help me <3

[idrissazzi]

thank you so much for explaining. so we can count the syllabic consonant as a syable .EX: bottle / 2 Syllable.thnx

[empyreankifdelk]

Hey, thank you for your lesson.
In the example at 10:00, the "perhaps" /pr̩æps/, as the "r" counts as a syllable, the "p" before it counts as a syllabic consonant too? like in: /p̩r̩æps/ (it feels wrong), or as in the context of connected speech, counts as part of the word before "perhaps" or?

[forumtgg]

Thanks very much 🙏 This has helped me a lot

[angieee]

thank you so much :) you are the best ma'am . If you don't mind, could you do a video related to Sonority Scale?

[AliAli-kddi]

Could you know book that contain more information about that, please?

[robertkohler]

Excellent video!Could you maybe explain the concept of “nasal release of plosives “ in an other clip?❤

[rukhsanaghani]

I need a lecture on (VOT) voice onset time.can you help me?

[patrinelmounzeo]

Hello Dear Billie! I'd like you do the description of vowels sounds.