中文是单音节语言。英语是多音节语言，正是这个原因，掌握音节对中国学生学习英语尤为关键。英语音节的学习与掌握是英语发音和拼读的重要一步，尤其是最基础的闭音节与开音节。

A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins.

Syllables are often considered the phonological "building blocks" of words. They can influence the rhythm of a language, its prosody, its poetic meter, its stress patterns, etc.

  英语是多音节语言，一个词中，有多个音节。 而音节，是构成词汇的积木。音节由核心（通常是元音）加上可选的头与尾组成。

二、闭音节与开音节（Closed and Open Syllables）

     英语的音节入门，需要从最简单的开音节与闭音节开始。在六种音节中，这两种是最容易掌握的。

    首先看看英文教程中关于开音节与闭音节的描述。

  Closed and open syllables are the first two syllable types students should learn. Out of the six syllable types, these two are the easiest for students to master. Hundreds of common words can be spelled using these two syllable types, so our students can get a lot of practice even while their spelling skills are still in the early development stage.

  To determine whether a syllable is closed or open, look at the vowel.

Closed Syllables

In a closed syllable, the vowel is followed by a consonant. Explain to your students that the vowel is “closed in” by the consonant. Take a look at these words:

cap
sit
men

Do you notice that in each of the closed syllables, the vowel is short?

Open Syllables

In an open syllable, nothing comes after the vowel. Look at the word he. We say that the vowel is open. There is nothing closing it in. 

For other examples, look at the first syllables in these words: 

ba by
e ven
pa per
a ble

Do you notice that in each of the open syllables, the vowel is long (says its name)?

什么叫闭音节？

单个元音字母后面有一个或几个辅音字母（r w y 除外）结尾, 而且中间只有一个元音字母的音节重读音节。例如： cap, sit, man, bag, egg, fish, not, map，desk，is。

什么叫开音节？

开音节分两种，一种叫绝对开音节，一种叫相对开音节。

绝对开音节：单个元音字母后面没有辅字组的重读音节。例如：be, he, no, blue,  ba-by e-ven, pa-per, a-ble, o-nly, stu-dent, se-cret.

相对开音节（vowel-consonant-e syllable）：单个元音字母后面加单个辅音字母，再加一个不发音字母e构成的重读音节。例如：name these make like bike home ex-cuse.

　　了解了闭音节与开音节的规则，再来看看五个元音字母的发音，就能明白什么时候该读长音，什么时候该读短音。英文部分的提示你注意到了吗？闭音节中，元音发短音，开音节中，元音发长音。

　　A E I O U 在闭音节中的读法：

　　A E I O U 在开音节中的读法：

三、音节的类型 Types of Syllables

英语的音节有六种类型。

There are six types of syllables:

1. A closed syllable ends in a consonant. The vowel has a short vowel sound, as in the word bat.
2. An open syllable ends in a vowel. The vowel has a long vowel sound, as in the first syllable of apron.
3. A vowel-consonant-e syllable is typically found at the end of a word. The final eis silent and makes the next vowel before it long, as in the word name.
4. A vowel team syllable has two vowels next to each other that together say a new sound, as in the word south.
5. A consonant-le syllable is found in words like handle, puzzle, and middle.
6. An r-controlled syllable contains a vowel followed by the letter r. The r controls the vowel and changes the way it is pronounced, as in the word car.

四、为什么要掌握音节，闭音节，开音节？

  当拼读一个多音节词时，需要一个音节一个音节的读。哪怕是再短的一个音节也不能吞掉。

  知道了闭音节与开音节，可以帮助学生正确的进行英语拼读。看到一个词，可以正确的发音；听到一个词，可以正确的书写。

Why Does It Matter?

Knowing the syllable types will help the student be a much better speller. 

When spelling multisyllable words, students should spell the word syllable by syllable. Teach them to say the first syllable, then write it down; then say the next syllable, and write it down. Using just this approach, students can spell many words accurately. 

Some words, though, cannot be spelled correctly using this simple approach. Take the word kitten. We say it ki(t) ten, without pronouncing the first t. So a student who doesn't have a visual picture of the word and doesn't know about syllable types may just write the word down as kiten. 

A student who does understand closed and open syllables, however, will know that when he writes down the first syllable he hears, /kĭ/, he needs to close the syllable with the letter t to make the i short. If he leaves the i open, it will be a long vowel sound. So even though he doesn't hear a t spoken in the first syllable, he knows that he needs to add one.