The Beginning of the Syllable in Albanian

Abstract

Looking at the syllable as a phonological description unit, we can highlight some basic features that characterize the segments that are part of it. The beginning of the syllable boundary is seen as a possible component of the syllable which shows some of the features associated with the way the units, which build it, are organized, and this is considered as the strongest consonantal position. Speakers of a language are able to identify possible consonant phonotactic combinations that may emerge at the beginning of the syllables and they assert that not every consonant sequence can form lasting onsets.
The word-initial clusters in Albanian are various which depend not only on the number of elements, but also on the possibilities of their combination, and sometimes they are regulated by phonological constraints. What is to be noted is that, with regard to the ability to emerge in an onset position, there are no restrictions on the consonants of the Albanian language which can all occupy this position, either as a component or as a branched component. The Albanian language does not show any visible limitations not only in the number of elements that emerge at the beginning of the syllable, but also in their possible combinations to create such syllabic structures.