Re: open/closed syllables
| From: | taliesin the storyteller <taliesin@...> |
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| Date: | Friday, March 9, 2001, 14:42 |
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On tor, mar 08, 2001 at 06:58:57pm -0500, E-Ching Ng wrote:
> As I understand it, a closed syllable ends with a consonant and an open
> syllable ends on its vowel. So stan 'stone' has one closed syllable, but
> stanas 'stones' has an open syllable sta and a closed syllable nas.
>
> Am curious. Unless they're talking about the Old English to Middle English
> transition period, I don't really see why they're talking about open and
> closed syllables.
The difference between open an closed syllables is important in rhyming,
in many languages closed syllables are heavy (stressed), open syllables
are light (unstressed). I don't know whether this was the case in OE/ME
though.
t.