Which consonants are cited as capable of forming syllables on their own, as in the endings of words like button and little?

Which consonants are cited as capable of forming syllables on their own, as in the endings of words like button and little?

• A. /n/ and /l/
• B. /p/ and /t/
• C. /s/ and /z/
• D. /m/ and /n/

Answer: (A)

Consonants that can carry a syllable without a vowel are called syllabic consonants. In English, the most common ones are /n/ and /l/. In endings like button and little, the vowel isn't pronounced as a separate nucleus; instead the final consonant becomes syllabic, so you get a syllable centered on /n/ or /l/ (often written as n̩ or l̩). That’s why button can be heard as having a syllable composed of just /n/, and little can end with a syllabic /l/. The other consonants listed don’t typically serve as the syllabic nucleus in ordinary speech, so they don’t form a syllable on their own in these examples.

Consonants that can carry a syllable without a vowel are called syllabic consonants. In English, the most common ones are /n/ and /l/. In endings like button and little, the vowel isn't pronounced as a separate nucleus; instead the final consonant becomes syllabic, so you get a syllable centered on /n/ or /l/ (often written as n̩ or l̩). That’s why button can be heard as having a syllable composed of just /n/, and little can end with a syllabic /l/. The other consonants listed don’t typically serve as the syllabic nucleus in ordinary speech, so they don’t form a syllable on their own in these examples.