The syllable construction in English

A syllable is a speech unit consisting of a sound or a sound sequence one of which is heard to be more prominent than the others. The most prominent sound being the peak or the nucleus of a syllable is called syllabic. Syllabic sounds are generally vowels and sonorants. The sonorants (ex, l, n, m) become syllabic when joined to a preceding consonant. Ex, apple, trouble, puzzle. (The sonorants [w, j, r] are not syllabic)

A word consisting of only one vowel sound represents a separate syllable, eg, [ai], are [a:], or [э:].

Many words in English such as parcel, level, special, person and the like could be pronounced with the neutral vowel before the sonorant thus making it non-syllabic.

In all these words the second prominent sound or the peak is formed by [э]. Some words in English not having any vowel-letter before the final sonorant may also be pronounced in both ways – пазл-пазэл.

On the other hand many words having a vowel-letter before the final sonorant are pronounced without the neutral vowel, that’s why the sonorant is syllabic, eg garden; lesson; pupil.

The words with the sonorant [m] blossom, are more often pronounced with the neutral vowel.

SO IF A SONORANT IS PRECEDED BY A VOWEL SOUND IT LOSES ITS SYLLABIC CHARACTER AND THE SYLLABLE IS FORMED BY THE VOWEL.

So we must be sure to make the final sonorants l, n, m, with a preceding consonant syllabic, ex, giggle, dozen.