SEEU Review vol. 5 Nr. 2 (pdf) - South East European University

Mentor Hamiti, Visar Shehu and Agni Dika
Tab. 1. Categorization according to the sonority of letters
No The category of sonority Letters
[1] Closed and deaf africant consonants p, t, k, q, c, ç
[2] Pathway deaf consonants f, s, h, th, sh
[3] Closed and africant loud consonants b, d, g, gj, x, xh
[4] Pathway loud consonants v, z, dh, zh
[5] Nose consonants m, n, nj
[6] Side consonants l, ll
[7] Fibrillation and medial consonants r, rr, j
[8] Closed vowels i, u, y
[9] Half opened vowels e, ë, o
[10] Open vowels a
With the categorization of letters according sonority, the number os
syllables within the word can be determined and can also determine the
limits of the division of the syllable. The syllable is determined by the
maximum local of the sonorities, while the syllable division boundary is
determined by the local minimum where it has voice declination.
The following figure (Fig. 1) illustrates the application of this theory for
the concrete division of the word university in the corresponding syllable: U-
NI-VER-SI-TY where it is clearly noted that the number of syllables
corresponds to the number of vowels and vowels simultaneously represent
the maximum local sonority. While division boundaries between syllables
are located in the local minimum, the declination of sonority represents the
declination of voice.
Fig. 1. The division of words into syllables according to the theory of
sonority
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