Definition of Syllables:
A syllable is a sound or a combination of sounds that can be pronounced at a time, or with a single effort of the voice. It constitutes a word, or a part of a word, that consists of one or more letters with one vowel sound. This means that we hear one vowel sound in every syllable.
Examples:
- A word of one syllable is called a mono-syllabic word, such as sad, bus, tree, doll, etc. (there is one vowel sound here).
- A word of two syllables is called a disyallabic word, such as heavy, poem, motel (there are two vowel sounds here, and so two syllables are ‘heav’ and ‘y’, ‘po’ and ’em’, ‘mo’ and ‘tel’)
- A word of three syllables is called a tri-syllabic word, as delightful (the number of vowel sounds is three here, and the syllables are ‘de’, ‘light’ and ‘full’), po-e-try, ac-ci-dent, etc.
- A word of four syllables is called a tetrasyllabic word, as melancholy (there are four vowel sounds here and the syllables are ‘mel’, ‘an’, ‘chol” and ‘y’).
- A word of five syllables is called apentasyllabic word, as in melodramatic (here the vowel sounds are five, and the syllables are ‘mel’, ‘o’, ‘dra’, ‘ma’, and ‘tic’).
- Similarly, there are hexasyllabic (of six syllables) words, septi-syllabic (of seven syllables) words, and so on.
- A word of many syllables is called a polysyllabic word.
The syllabic division of a word is usually shown by the mark (-). Thus, the above words may be rewritten on the basis of the syllables they contain in the following manner: sad, heav-y, de-light-ful, mel-an-chol-y and mel-o-dra-ma-tic.
Also read: Revue: Definition, Features and Examples | A Short Note
