Syllables in "boil"

[Just Robyn]

How many syllables are there in your pronunciation of "boil"? I'm quite aware of what the dictionary says, but my pronunciation of boil is "boy-yuhl". The 'l' is syllabic. If I try to pronounce 'boil' as one syllable I either sound southern (which would be fine if I were, but I'm not) or it sounds unlike any dialect I have heard.

[Dana]

I hear it as two syllables but my pronunciation is the same as on dictionary.com. I see that you can't split the word between the o and i, so I see why it has to be listed as one syllable, but I do "hear" the two...

 

Although AAS mentions one approach for determining syllables as how many times your jaw drops when saying a word, and if I put my hand under my chin, I can say "boil" with only hitting my hand once (down for the "oi", up for the "l").

[ABQmom]

I hear it as two syllables but my pronunciation is the same as on dictionary.com. I see that you can't split the word between the o and i, so I see why it has to be listed as one syllable, but I do "hear" the two...

 

Although AAS mentions one approach for determining syllables as how many times your jaw drops when saying a word, and if I put my hand under my chin, I can say "boil" with only hitting my hand once (down for the "oi", up for the "l").

 

:iagree:

[fivetails]

I just tried to say it with one ~ and it sounded very weird. :laugh:

 

boy-uhl

 

just like oil, coil, etc..

[daybreaking]

How many syllables are there in your pronunciation of "boil"? I'm quite aware of what the dictionary says, but my pronunciation of boil is "boy-yuhl". The 'l' is syllabic. If I try to pronounce 'boil' as one syllable I either sound southern (which would be fine if I were, but I'm not) or it sounds unlike any dialect I have heard.

 

It might help if you compare it to pronouncing "bowl." I think you would agree that "bowl" is one syllable. The difference with "boil" is that there is a diphthong in the middle, making it appear to have two syllables, but since by definition, a diphthong is a "mono-syllabic vowel with two sounds," there really is only one syllable.

[Miss Marple]

Hmm...I can't wrap my mouth around it either. How do you pronounce "coin"? If one uses ABeka Letters and Sounds, "oi" says o-ie as in "coin" which gives 2 syllable sounds "co" "ine". But in "boil", the "l" sound begins with another vowel sound (a short e) so that's like having 3 vowels in a row (I know it really just says L)- it sure seems like it needs more than 1 syllable to me - I'd give it 3 syllables Bo - ee - ul but I'm certainly not following any phonics rules here ;)

Edited April 25, 2010 by CynthiaOK

[SonshineLearner]

My mom, a WRTR convert from 20+ years ago:), also pronounces "Di-a-per". because of the type of phonogram or something.. that it is.

[Just Robyn]

It might help if you compare it to pronouncing "bowl." I think you would agree that "bowl" is one syllable. The difference with "boil" is that there is a diphthong in the middle, making it appear to have two syllables, but since by definition, a diphthong is a "mono-syllabic vowel with two sounds," there really is only one syllable.

 

It's not diphthong that makes it two syllables (in my pronunciation), it's the syllabic 'l'. I'm not talking about spelling, I'm talking about pronunciation. There is no question about how many syllables are in 'boil' in my pronunciation; there are two in mine. What I'm asking is, when you say the word 'boil' how many syllables are in your pronunciation?

 

ETA: Syllabic consonants

Edited April 25, 2010 by crstarlette

[Wheres Toto]

Definitely two - just like oil, coil, royal.

[HootyTooty]

Definitely two - just like oil, coil, royal.

in mine oil and coil would have 1 and royal would have 2.

[Just Robyn]

in mine oil and coil would have 1 and royal would have 2.

 

Wow, that is interesting! I wish we had sound bytes. The geek in me would love to hear everyone.:D

[micandme]

How many syllables are there in your pronunciation of "boil"? I'm quite aware of what the dictionary says, but my pronunciation of boil is "boy-yuhl". The 'l' is syllabic. If I try to pronounce 'boil' as one syllable I either sound southern (which would be fine if I were, but I'm not) or it sounds unlike any dialect I have heard.

 

Oi and oy are the same sounds... so if you say "boy" and add "l", it sounds like two syllables. Just because that's how our mouths do it. Soil, too. Well... after saying it over and over... I guess you could debate even then if it's one or two syllables.... but pronouncing it as "bowl" isn't phonetically correct either! :001_huh:

 

I'm from the north and now live in GA, so I fall into a lot of "southern" sounding speaking (according to my northern relatives... I don't hear it), but I still have to do a double-take when I hear "bowl" for "boil"....

 

Now, you should do a poll (which rhymes with the southern "boil" too!) and see if the pronunciation has to do with geographic area! :tongue_smilie:

[SonshineLearner]

Oi and oy are the same sounds... so if you say "boy" and add "l", it sounds like two syllables. Just because that's how our mouths do it. Soil, too. Well... after saying it over and over... I guess you could debate even then if it's one or two syllables.... but pronouncing it as "bowl" isn't phonetically correct either! :001_huh:

 

I'm from the north and now live in GA, so I fall into a lot of "southern" sounding speaking (according to my northern relatives... I don't hear it), but I still have to do a double-take when I hear "bowl" for "boil"....

 

Now, you should do a poll (which rhymes with the southern "boil" too!) and see if the pronunciation has to do with geographic area! :tongue_smilie:

 

I thought this was the difference between two vowels, and at least one vowel and one consonant.

 

Hmmm (so ow would be different that oi)

[daybreaking]

It's not diphthong that makes it two syllables (in my pronunciation), it's the syllabic 'l'. I'm not talking about spelling, I'm talking about pronunciation. There is no question about how many syllables are in 'boil' in my pronunciation; there are two in mine. What I'm asking is, when you say the word 'boil' how many syllables are in your pronunciation?

 

ETA: Syllabic consonants

 

I think we're disagreeing on semantics, here. I pronounce it "boy-uhl" like you (although I don't say it as distinctly as boy .... uhl, but more of a blending of the two parts), but don't consider that to be two syllables. Yes, "oi" has two sounds, but they're not separate syllables, by definition, if you go strictly by the rules of English, which classify diphthongs as one syllable. (Those rules are why dictionaries list boil, coil, coy, etc. as having only one syllable.)

 

ETA: I just re-read what you wrote about it not being the diphthong, but the syllabic "l" that makes it two syllables. If it's the "l" and not the diphthong, then it would follow that every word ending in "l" would have more than one syllable. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the reason you are considering "l" to be syllabic is that the diphthong is making it sound that way to you.

Edited April 25, 2010 by daybreaking
Addition

[micandme]

I thought this was the difference between two vowels, and at least one vowel and one consonant.

 

Hmmm (so ow would be different that oi)

 

Right.... it doesn't follow the "when two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking" rule. :)

 

It's one of the oh-so-many exceptions to the rule in the English language... sigh.... isn't it fun trying to teach a child to read and to always be saying, "Well, HERE it doesn't say that, it says....." I'm so amazed I've gotten two children through learning to read and learning how to borrow (in math!)... one more to go!

 

Here, though, is where I'll put my off-topic plug in for Abeka phonics. It's amazing! Maybe I haven't taught my kids to read and spell... I think Abeka did. ;)

[micandme]

How about.... coin, toil, point, joint, etc.?

[Guest CarolineUK]

I pronounce it as one syllable, but it does sound a 'looong' syllable. I'm sure I remember from my distant schooldays someone talking about half-syllables, is that possible or am I just dreaming?

[angela in ohio]

I think we want it to be one syllabe, but it comes out as two. ;)

 

It depends somewhat on whether we are talking about prescriptive or descriptive pronunciations. Prescriptive - you could argue either, because some recognize the syllabic l, but you probably have a better argument for one. Descriptive - you have a better argument for two.

Edited April 25, 2010 by angela in ohio

[Matryoshka]

How about.... coin, toil, point, joint, etc.?

 

See, I don't think this has anything to do with the 'oi' per se, but about the fact that the spelling of 'boil' does not reflect the pronunciation many of us use. Yes, as spelled it shouldn't have two syllables - but for me, it's pronounced just like 'royal' but with a "b" on the front. Should 'royal' only have one syllable then? Do you pronounce 'boil' and 'royal' differently? (I'm sure some regional accents do, I just don't). The way I pronounce it, there is an extra vowel sound in the syllable with the 'l'.

 

English spelling does not always accurately reflect pronunciation or syllabification. Worcester, Gloucester and Leicester all have two syllables, for example. They're pronounced wooh-ster, glaw-ster and leh-ster.

 

As for those words above:

 

Coin, point, joint - one syllable - I don't say 'coi-uhn'

toil - two (rhymes with boil and royal :D)

[Giraffe]

I was born in the South and raised by Southerners, but grew up all over the USA thanks to the US Navy. Here's what I say -

 

1 syllable:

Boil

Oil

Soil

Foil

Coil

Coin

Joint

Point

 

2 Syllable:

Royal

 

In grades 3/4 I was taught phonics and for some reason I am remembering that there's a rule about "'oy' in the middle of the word". I can't quite pull it up out of the cobwebs, though. "Her first nurse works early" I will NEVER forget!

 

Even though I'm born Southern and raised by Southerners, we do NOT say "boil" in any way that rhymes with "bowl". I rarely hear that pronunciation. Maybe I just edit for the accent automatically?

[Lovedtodeath]

coin is one. boil is two.

[Crimson Wife]

Do you pronounce 'boil' and 'royal' differently?

 

Yes, the way I pronounce them the two words don't exactly rhyme. The first is "boy" + a semi-swallowed "l". All one syllable. The second has a schwa sound before the "l", making it have two syllables.

[micandme]

Yes, the way I pronounce them the two words don't exactly rhyme. The first is "boy" + a semi-swallowed "l". All one syllable. The second has a schwa sound before the "l", making it have two syllables.

 

I think I got confused in the whole thing. Maybe there are three possibilities here... am I right?

 

There's the

 

1) boil that sounds like bowl (southern pronunciation)

2) boil that rhymes with coin, etc. and is CONSIDERED one syllable although maybe a child would think it was two

3) boil with two distinct syllables (which I don't think I ever hear, but maybe that's the real discussion)

 

So is the OP question, which of #2 and #3 is right? And is it true that we are NOT discussing #1? If so, I'd re-vote for one syllable (I do NOT pronounce it "bowl"!). That's where I was confused. :D

[AHASRADA]

I was actually quite surprised to see this put up as a poll, with most posters justifying their responses by how they pronounce the word, how it sounds to them, etc. But then again, I'm sure before I began tutoring my dyslexic dd with an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program, I wouldn't have been familiar with all the spelling and phonics rules of the English language, either.

 

The rule (as far as I understand it) is: every syllable must have a vowel.

 

In the case of "boil", "oi" is a dipthong, making a single vowel sound, therefore, there is only one vowel sound in the word, making it a single-syllable word.

 

In order for it to be a 2-syllable word, the word would need to be divided between the two vowels, making it "bo-il", pronounced "bow-ill", which is not the case.

 

Some people may pronounce it as "boi-ul", but since there is no additional vowel in the word to create this "-ul" sound, it does not represent a second syllable.

 

I hope this was clear. Even if your child is not dyslexic, an O-G-based spelling program, like AAS, should teach these rules.

 

HTH,

[micandme]

I think I got confused in the whole thing. Maybe there are three possibilities here... am I right?

 

There's the

 

1) boil that sounds like bowl (southern pronunciation)

2) boil that rhymes with coin, etc. and is CONSIDERED one syllable although maybe a child would think it was two

3) boil with two distinct syllables (which I don't think I ever hear, but maybe that's the real discussion)

 

So is the OP question, which of #2 and #3 is right? And is it true that we are NOT discussing #1? If so, I'd re-vote for one syllable (I do NOT pronounce it "bowl"!). That's where I was confused. :D

 

One more thing.... I thought of some other words that can be tough... how about:

 

desire (2 syllables, that can sound like 3)

fire (1 syllable either sounding like a quick "fie-ur" or 1 syllable sounding like the more southern "far", but when a child is counting syllables, it might sound like 2 "fie-ur")

[micandme]

I was actually quite surprised to see this put up as a poll, with most posters justifying their responses by how they pronounce the word, how it sounds to them, etc. But then again, I'm sure before I began tutoring my dyslexic dd with an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program, I wouldn't have been familiar with all the spelling and phonics rules of the English language, either.

 

The rule (as far as I understand it) is: every syllable must have a vowel.

 

In the case of "boil", "oi" is a dipthong, making a single vowel sound, therefore, there is only one vowel sound in the word, making it a single-syllable word.

 

In order for it to be a 2-syllable word, the word would need to be divided between the two vowels, making it "bo-il", pronounced "bow-ill", which is not the case.

 

Some people may pronounce it as "boi-ul", but since there is no additional vowel in the word to create this "-ul" sound, it does not represent a second syllable.

 

I hope this was clear. Even if your child is not dyslexic, an O-G-based spelling program, like AAS, should teach these rules.

 

HTH,

 

I think I misunderstood the question. I thought it was more a question of pronunciation. If I could re-vote, I'd change to 1 syllable. Technically, it's one, but how it sounds is two, once again making educating children a little more difficult than it should be. :tongue_smilie:

[Pretty in Pink]

I voted 2 syllable because the OP asked about pronunciation. I think the word sounds like it has two syllables. That said, I know that it has only one because you cannot divide this word between the letters o and i.

[Brindee]

It might help if you compare it to pronouncing "bowl." I think you would agree that "bowl" is one syllable. The difference with "boil" is that there is a diphthong in the middle, making it appear to have two syllables, but since by definition, a diphthong is a "mono-syllabic vowel with two sounds," there really is only one syllable.

Yeah, what she said! :001_smile:

 

I voted 2 syllable because the OP asked about pronunciation. I think the word sounds like it has two syllables. That said, I know that it has only one because you cannot divide this word between the letters o and i.

I agree. The OP said "....in YOUR pronunciation...", so that's the criteria I used to answer!

 

I was actually quite surprised to see this put up as a poll, with most posters justifying their responses by how they pronounce the word, how it sounds to them, etc.

This sounded a bit "uppity", which I'm sure you didn't mean! See above. That's what the OP asked for! Edited April 25, 2010 by Brindee

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

Alright. I just did the hand test. (put your hand under your chin and however many times your chin goes down is how many syllables there are) That is scientifically proven:lol:! :D 2 syllables:D

 

I truly never thought of boil being a 2 syllable word :001_huh:

[FO4UR]

2 syllables

 

I just asked ds7 to say "boil" and he definitely pronounces 2 syllables.

 

The hand under the chin thing=2syllables.

 

The second syllable sounds like the 2nd syllable in the word "apple."

 

It's an oddity. The "l" has to be pronouced with tongue forward and the dipthong is pronounced with the tongue back in the mouth....this is why it's 2 syllables and the word "coin" is 1 syllable....the tongue doesn't have to move far to pronounce the "n."

Now, my folks from the South can do it in 1 syllable...:iagree: and it comes out almost exactly like "bowl"...I have to have context clues to know which is which.

[myfatherslily]

I grew up in CT. The first time I was visiting Alabama (around Easter), someone asked me if I liked "bald eggs." Huh? What was that? "Bald eggs." Ummm... well, I'm not sure. I had NO idea what she was talking about.

 

So the food was brought out. What was it? Boiled eggs!

 

Another time my mother-in-law was trying to tell me something and it just didn't make ANY sense to me at all. I heard the words "alls", which didn't fit the sentence. Turns out, she was talking about "owls". :D

 

So, yeah, boi-l:) But I've never thought of it as sounding like 2 syllables. The sounds just don't flow quite as smoothly as others.

[Just Robyn]

I was actually quite surprised to see this put up as a poll, with most posters justifying their responses by how they pronounce the word, how it sounds to them, etc. But then again, I'm sure before I began tutoring my dyslexic dd with an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program, I wouldn't have been familiar with all the spelling and phonics rules of the English language, either.

 

The rule (as far as I understand it) is: every syllable must have a vowel.

 

In the case of "boil", "oi" is a dipthong, making a single vowel sound, therefore, there is only one vowel sound in the word, making it a single-syllable word.

 

In order for it to be a 2-syllable word, the word would need to be divided between the two vowels, making it "bo-il", pronounced "bow-ill", which is not the case.

 

Some people may pronounce it as "boi-ul", but since there is no additional vowel in the word to create this "-ul" sound, it does not represent a second syllable.

 

I hope this was clear. Even if your child is not dyslexic, an O-G-based spelling program, like AAS, should teach these rules.

 

HTH,

 

Here is the definition (from dictionary.com) of syllable to use for this poll:

 

A unit of spoken language consisting of a single uninterrupted sound formed by a vowel, diphthong, or syllabic consonant alone, or by any of these sounds preceded, followed, or surrounded by one or more consonants.

 

I am not asking about rules, I am asking about actual pronunciation. How do you really pronounce it, not how does someone say you "should" pronounce it. Though the word 'boil' is spelled as though it has one syllable, English spelling and pronunciation are not always in sync, especially since pronunciation varies by region and changes over time.

 

And here, again, is an article on syllabic consonants which do exist in English according to some linguists, while other would say there is a schwa in the pronunciation, but sometimes not in the spelling.

[gracefulhome]

I hear it as two syllables but my pronunciation is the same as on dictionary.com. I see that you can't split the word between the o and i, so I see why it has to be listed as one syllable, but I do "hear" the two...

 

Although AAS mentions one approach for determining syllables as how many times your jaw drops when saying a word, and if I put my hand under my chin, I can say "boil" with only hitting my hand once (down for the "oi", up for the "l").

 

I can do it with one jaw drop AND with two !? It depends on how I pronounce it. :tongue_smilie:

 

Mary in CO

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I can do it with one jaw drop AND with two !? It depends on how I pronounce it. :tongue_smilie:

 

Mary in CO

 

 

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol: Atleast I am not the only one who does the official jaw drop test!!!!

[daybreaking]

Here is the definition (from dictionary.com) of syllable to use for this poll:

 

A unit of spoken language consisting of a single uninterrupted sound formed by a vowel, diphthong, or syllabic consonant alone, or by any of these sounds preceded, followed, or surrounded by one or more consonants.

 

 

 

I'm confused on what you want. It seems like the above definition of syllable contradicts what you're trying to find out. Do you just want to know if people pronounce boil "boy-uhl" or "bowl"? If so, I'm not sure I understand why you are having folks use the above definition, since it is already shows "boil" as having only one syllable. :001_huh:

[LizzyBee]

I was actually quite surprised to see this put up as a poll, with most posters justifying their responses by how they pronounce the word, how it sounds to them, etc. But then again, I'm sure before I began tutoring my dyslexic dd with an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program, I wouldn't have been familiar with all the spelling and phonics rules of the English language, either.

 

The rule (as far as I understand it) is: every syllable must have a vowel.

 

In the case of "boil", "oi" is a dipthong, making a single vowel sound, therefore, there is only one vowel sound in the word, making it a single-syllable word.

 

In order for it to be a 2-syllable word, the word would need to be divided between the two vowels, making it "bo-il", pronounced "bow-ill", which is not the case.

 

Some people may pronounce it as "boi-ul", but since there is no additional vowel in the word to create this "-ul" sound, it does not represent a second syllable.

 

I hope this was clear. Even if your child is not dyslexic, an O-G-based spelling program, like AAS, should teach these rules.

 

HTH,

 

I know that boil has one syllable and why, but the OP asked about pronunciation. I pronounce it with two syllables, and I don't believe I've ever heard it pronounced another way.

[AHASRADA]

Sorry, I honestly did overlook the "in your pronunciation" part of the poll!

 

I guess I am so "trained" to look at the topic of syllables as a set-in-stone, rules-based phenomenon, that I didn't think about evaluating it based on pronunciation.

 

It can be fun and interesting to see how a word is pronounced in different parts of the country. I guess the teacher in me wanted to make sure everyone knew how it is "supposed" to be divided :blush: Sorry if I sounded uppity; I'll go crawl in a hole now...

[micandme]

Sorry, I honestly did overlook the "in your pronunciation" part of the poll!

 

I guess I am so "trained" to look at the topic of syllables as a set-in-stone, rules-based phenomenon, that I didn't think about evaluating it based on pronunciation.

 

It can be fun and interesting to see how a word is pronounced in different parts of the country. I guess the teacher in me wanted to make sure everyone knew how it is "supposed" to be divided :blush: Sorry if I sounded uppity; I'll go crawl in a hole now...

 

:grouphug:

[Matryoshka]

It can be fun and interesting to see how a word is pronounced in different parts of the country. I guess the teacher in me wanted to make sure everyone knew how it is "supposed" to be divided

 

So, if you were to divide the word "Worcester", you'd make it three syllables even though it only has two when spoken? Clearly it *should* be pronunced Wor-sess-ter, based on the letters and vowels in the spelling. But it's not, and the "r" isn't pronounced either. English spelling does not always reflect pronunciation or syllabification for that matter.

 

Worces·ter 1 (wŏŏs'tər)

 

And look, here's one showing the optional schwa in boil:

 

boil definition

Pronunciation: /ˈbȯi(ə)l/

 

And, I have to add that when I pronounce "boiling", the schwa disappears - it's boi-ling. But in "boiled" it remains - boi-uld. Note that the "e" in the "ed" ending does not add a vowel sound in that second syllable at all- it's still the schwa from the root word.

 

We use written language to write what we say; especially in English the spelling often reflects archaic pronunciation that has changed over either time or distance. One cannot predicate syllabification or pronunciation soley on what letters exist in the spelling of an English word. I'd be having a whole different conversation if we were speaking of, say, Spanish spelling, which is phonetic and regular.

[Tree House Academy]

Boil is one syllable. I am southern, but I do not have a terrible southern accent. I can get all of the sounds in when saying the word as just one syllable. Separating the word in half is more "southern" sounding to me.

[Matryoshka]

Boil is one syllable. I am southern, but I do not have a terrible southern accent. I can get all of the sounds in when saying the word as just one syllable. Separating the word in half is more "southern" sounding to me.

 

:D I have lots of relatives in TN... up here my first name has two syllables, but down there it only has one. Conversely, my dad's name has one syllable up here, and two down there. :D

 

I'm not arguing for right or wrong, just being honest about how I pronounce it (and that was the question). :)

 

Sometimes we have more regional accent then we realize, even if it's not very pronounced - I have so little apparent regional accent that I've had people argue that I can't possibly really be from here. However there was an online accent test I took that had more to do with vowels than consonants (I do pronounce all my "r's" in the right place, thank you), and it pegged me as being from near Boston with no problem (questions were things like "are Mary, marry and merry pronounced the same or different?").

[Lovedtodeath]

Smile has two syllables in pronunciation, the same as boil.

[Daisy]

Boil is one syllable in my home and we don't talk southern.

 

Boil

oil

coil

 

are all one syllable. One clap. Pronounced boyl. Just because you can break a word into individual sounds doesn't make it multi-syllable. I have this conversation frequently with my son.

 

He'd like to break a word down like this...

 

/c/ /a/ /t/

 

Three syllables. No. Three sounds.

 

Same with boil.

 

/b/ /oy/ /l/

 

three sounds (with the /b/ and /oy/ blending easily into one) but only one syllable. It doesn't matter to me how you pronounce it. It still only has one syllable.

[angela in ohio]

I was actually quite surprised to see this put up as a poll, with most posters justifying their responses by how they pronounce the word, how it sounds to them, etc. But then again, I'm sure before I began tutoring my dyslexic dd with an Orton-Gillingham-based phonics program, I wouldn't have been familiar with all the spelling and phonics rules of the English language, either.

 

The rule (as far as I understand it) is: every syllable must have a vowel.

 

In the case of "boil", "oi" is a dipthong, making a single vowel sound, therefore, there is only one vowel sound in the word, making it a single-syllable word.

 

In order for it to be a 2-syllable word, the word would need to be divided between the two vowels, making it "bo-il", pronounced "bow-ill", which is not the case.

 

Some people may pronounce it as "boi-ul", but since there is no additional vowel in the word to create this "-ul" sound, it does not represent a second syllable.

 

I hope this was clear. Even if your child is not dyslexic, an O-G-based spelling program, like AAS, should teach these rules.

 

HTH,

 

I think you misunderstood the thread. And you really can't assume that other homeschool mothers don't understand the rules of the English language. :001_smile:

[Just Robyn]

I'm confused on what you want. It seems like the above definition of syllable contradicts what you're trying to find out. Do you just want to know if people pronounce boil "boy-uhl" or "bowl"? If so, I'm not sure I understand why you are having folks use the above definition, since it is already shows "boil" as having only one syllable. :001_huh:

 

That definition acknowledges syllabic consonants.

[Just Robyn]

And, I have to add that when I pronounce "boiling", the schwa disappears - it's boi-ling. But in "boiled" it remains - boi-uld. Note that the "e" in the "ed" ending does not add a vowel sound in that second syllable at all- it's still the schwa from the root word.

 

Hmm, yep, same here. I suppose there is a base form with the parts /b/ /oi/ /l/ , but my dialect doesn't allow them to be all in the same syllable so I add a schwa to break it up. Because -ing adds a vowel, it is unnecessary for me to add a schwa. Ok, thank you. I am officially satisfied with the amount of time I have spent thinking about this word. You guys can go as crazy as you want with it though. :D

[Storm Bay]

in mine oil and coil would have 1 and royal would have 2.

 

 

I lean this way. Yes, there is more to saying boil than coin, but there is less than saying royal.If I tap my hand, I get 2 full syallables for royal, but not for boil. More like 1.5ish. If this were music, I'd liken it to a dotted quarter note when a quarter note gets one beat (or syllable) or, better yet, perhaps a quarter note tied to a sixteenth note. I voted for 1 syllable, but after analysing it, I ought to have chosen other :). Of course, if I'm speaking quickly or with a Canadian accent, there is no question that it's only one syllable, unlike playing the piano quickly when you still have to keep the same rhythm. The longer one comes when I'm speaking with a local accent.

 

And, yes, I know about dipthongs, but we're having some fun here with how people actually pronounce that dipthong. I've seen many people add syllables to those and drag them out so that they become two.

Edited April 25, 2010 by Karin

[Storm Bay]

Alright. I just did the hand test. (put your hand under your chin and however many times your chin goes down is how many syllables there are) That is scientifically proven:lol:! :D 2 syllables:D

 

I truly never thought of boil being a 2 syllable word :001_huh:

 

 

Interesting. In that case, royal is a one syllable word for me, because my chin only goes down once. So much for science ;).

[micandme]

Boil is one syllable in my home and we don't talk southern.

 

Boil

oil

coil

 

are all one syllable. One clap. Pronounced boyl. Just because you can break a word into individual sounds doesn't make it multi-syllable. I have this conversation frequently with my son.

 

He'd like to break a word down like this...

 

/c/ /a/ /t/

 

Three syllables. No. Three sounds.

 

Same with boil.

 

/b/ /oy/ /l/

 

three sounds (with the /b/ and /oy/ blending easily into one) but only one syllable. It doesn't matter to me how you pronounce it. It still only has one syllable.

 

I don't think this was really the problem... it's a little different with these words like smile and boil. But good point that kids do try to do that when counting syllables.

[micandme]

Smile has two syllables in pronunciation, the same as boil.

 

:iagree: