For example, the difference in meaning between "seed" and "deed" lies in the fact that the initial sound of the first word is s [s] and the initial sound of the second word is d [d]. The forms of the two words are identical except for the initial consonants. What makes the two words different in meaning is the consonants [s] and [d]. Thus, these are called distinctive sounds, or phonemes in English.
In English, these are the only permissible arrangements of these phonemes, but *[lbki], *[bkil], *[ilkb] and so on are not possible in the language. Our knowledge of English tells us that certain strings of phonemes are permissible and others are not. Thus, we can see that after a consonant like [b], [g], [k], or [p], another similar consonant is not permitted by the rules of the grammar. If a word begins with an [l] or an [r], every English speaker knows that the next segment must be a vowel. *[lbik] does not sound like an English word because it does not conform to the restrictions on the sequencing of phonemes.
Syllable
Structurally, the syllable may be divided into three parts: the onset, the peak, and the coda.
Some syllables have an onset and no coda.
Some syllables may have no onset but a coda. In this case, we say the initial syllable has a zero onset.
Stress
Stress is generally defined as syllable prominence. In other words, a syllable that is more prominent than the other syllables in a word or phrase is said to be stressed. In many languages, including English, some syllables within a word are relatively more prominent than others.
Some words may have a primary stress and one or more than one secondary stresses. In such a case, more than one vowel may be stressed, but the most strongly accented syllable of a word receives greater stress than the others. Thus it is said to carry primary stress, indicated by an acute accent mark. The other stressed vowels received secondary stress. A word, if long enough, may have several nonprimary stresses.
When words are combined into phrases and sentences, one of the syllables receives greater stress than all others. Only one of the vowels in a phrase or sentence receives primary stress. All the other stressed vowels are reduced to secondary stress.
