Felicia ªerban & al. * Database of the Romanian Language Phonetics and Phonology

2.2.1.1. Consonants

It is not very difficult to 'cut' words at the consonant. The processing has been made according to the orthoepic and orthographic rules elaborated by the Romanian Academy [9,10]. We shall enumerate some examples of syllabication, with the help of symbols:

• 1 consonant situated between two vowels V/CV: cineva 'somebody' CV/CV/CW.
  
  
• 2 consecutive consonants between two vowels VC/CV: a impune 'to impose' VC/CW/CV; echitabil 'equitable' V/GGV/CW/CVC; deghizare 'disguise' CV/GGV/VW/CV. Exceptions: [b, k, d, f, g, h, p, t, v] + [l, r] = V/CCV: dublu 'double' CW/CCV, acrobat V/CCV/CWC, cadran 'quadrant' CV/CCWC, aflux 'afflux' V/CCWC, chihlimbar 'amber' GGVC/CVC/CWC, agreabil 'agreeable' V/CCV/W/CVC, suplu 'slim' CW/CCV, patru 'four' CW/CCV, travling 'travelling' CCWC/CVCC, etc. [9].
  
  
• Other exceptions: monophonematic groups of consonants such as [d+g] (azerbaidjan 'inhabitant of Azerbaijan' V/CVC/CVS/GGWC, cambodgian 'inhabitant of Cambodia' CVC/CV/GGV/WC).
  
  
• 3 consecutive consonants VC/CCV: obscur 'obscure' VC/CCWC. Exceptions stated by the orthographic and orthoepic rules [9,11]: lp-t, mp-t, nc-t, nd-v, rc-t, st-m and others: arctic WCC/CVC, astmatic 'asthmatic' VCC/CW/CVC, plancton 'plankton' CCVCC/CWC, trustman 'trust-man' CCVCC/CWC, etc.; the syllabic cut is after the group of consonants which can be identified at the end of the word and before the consonantic group which can be placed at the beginning of the word. In spite of this, the place of the syllabic cut cannot be always determined by the phonematic structure of the segment [3].

Other exceptions have been observed while elaborating the database (over 15): lt-c - altcineva 'somebody else' WCC/CV/CV/CV, altcum 'however else' WCC/CVC; lt-h - althorn VCC/CWCC; lt-m - altminteri 'differently' VCC/CWC/CVCP; lv-c - salvconduct 'safeguard' CVCC/CVC/CWCC; lv-g - salvgardare 'safeguarding' CVCC/CVC/CW/CV; ns-h - transhumant 'migrating' CCVCC/CV/CWCC; ns-s -transsaharian 'trans-Saharian' CCVCC/CV/CV/CV/WC; nt-d -untdelemn 'oil' VCC/CV/CWCC; nt-g - roentgen 'X-ray' CWCC/CVC; pt-z - optzeci 'eighty' VCC/CWC$; rt-h - porthartã 'map case' CVCC/CWC/CV; rt-j - portjartier 'girdle' CVCC/CVC/CV/WC; rt-v - portvizit 'wallet' CVCC/CV/CWC; st-b - postbelic 'post-war' CVCC/CW/CVC; st-d - postdiluvial 'post-diluvial' CVCC/CV/CV/CV/WC, and others; three successive consonants represented by four letters: rt-ch = [rt-k]: portchei 'key-holder' CVCC/GGWS.

As it can be noticed, all the exceptions we have found (minus roentgen 'X-ray') are compound words and the phonetic syllabication coincides with the morphological one.

• 4 successive consonants VC/CCCV: abstract 'abstract' VC/CCCWCV (see also the morphological syllabication). Exception: [rst-n] = CCC/C.
• 5 successive consonants VCC/CCCV: optsprezece 'eighteen' WCC/CCCV/CV/CV; angstrom WCC/CCCVC.

After identifying the exceptions, one must operate the distinction between the syllabication of words written in Romanian orthography and the ones which have the foreign orthography that may preserve other monophonematic consonantic groups: deshumare 'exhume' CVC/CV/CW/CV, but flash-back CCWGG/CVGG; asignat 'banknote' V/CVC/CWC, but signorie 'form of government' CV/GGV/CW/V; stathunder CCVC/CVC/CWC, but beethovenian CV/GGV/CV/CV/WC; pitchpin 'pitch pine' CVGGG/CWSC.

2.2.1.2. Diphthongs, triphthongs, hiatus

As we have seen up to the present moment, it is very difficult to identify them in Romanian.

The elements which serve to differentiate the diphthong (SV or VS) from the hiatus (V/V) are:

• the composition of the vocalic group;
• the position of the vocalic group (initial, medial, final);
• the phonological context;
• the accent;
• the morphological structure of the word.

There are only a few rules with a general character, the degree of generality being often restricted by a certain number of exceptions. We shall give some examples.

2.2.1.2.1. The composition of the vocalic group

Groups built by the recurrence of the same vowel sound generally represent a hiatus: contraatac 'counter-attack' CVC/CCV/V/CWC; epopee 'epic' V/CV/CW/V; cuviinþã 'decency' CV/CV/WC/CV; cooperare 'co-operation' CV/V/CV/CW/CV; continuu 'continuous' CVC/CW/CV/V.

In the case of a final /i+i/, we do not always have two fully voiced vowels, but a diphthong VS, for example in the plural forms of the feminine nouns ending in -ie (galerii CV/CV/CWS < galerie 'art gallery'), of the adjectives ending in -iu (argintii CV/CVC/CWS < argintiu 'silvery'), etc.: ambii 'both' WC/CVS, funeralii 'funeral' CV/CV/CW/CVS. When both vowels are fully voiced, it becomes a hiatus: a prii 'to enjoy' CCV/W, a pustii 'to ravage' CVC/CV/W. One can differentiate by taking into account either the stress (the second /i/ is stressed) or the preceding consonantic group.

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