Words consist of
syllables.
Each syllables consists of "margins" (edges) and a "nucleus" (middle).
Vowel sounds occur in the nucleus of a syllable;
consonant sounds
occur in the margins. In English, syllables can begin or end with consonants or vowels. Other languages sometimes insist that every syllable end in a vowel or begin with a consonant. On the other hand, no known language insists that syllables begin with a vowel or end in a consonant.
In linguistics jargon, basic syllable structure is often listed using abbreviations, where C represents any consonant and V any vowel, for instance:
- CV - beginning consonant, vowel
- CV(C) - beginning consonant, vowel, optional closing consonant
See phonetics.