Fundamental Principles of Singing and Phonetics

• Every musical note possesses its temporal span.
• Typically, a single note is assigned to each syllable.
• Syllabic structure can be concisely delineated as (ω)ρ wherein ρ = ν[κ].
• ω = onset; ρ = rhyme; ν = nucleus; κ = coda.
• A nucleus is predominantly vocalic, whereas a onset and a coda are primarily consonantal.
• A rhyme governs the note's pitch.
• A nucleus occupies the predominant portion of the note's duration.
• A coda occupies a segment of the note's duration.
• Considering the syllabic structure (ω)ρ, the ω component does not consume a note's duration but is articulated preceding the note's commencement.
• An exception: if an onset ends in an voiced approximant or liquid, the approximant or liquid can occupy a portion of the note's duration.
• In sequences of consecutive notes, an onset of the subsequent note may encroach upon the duration of the preceding note or be considered a part of its syllable's coda.
• Should the coda encompass multiple phonemes, the duration allocated to each phoneme diminishes proportionally.

Comparative Analysis of Syllabic Structures:

• Japanese: (C[j/w])V[N/Q] wherein κ = [N/Q]; however, N and Q are usually moraic and occupies the predominant portion of the note's duration; Q may be realized as V it follows if moraic.
• Chinese: (C[M])V[C] wherein κ = [C]
• English: (CCC)V[CCCC] e.g. strengths wherein κ = [CCCC]
• New Ithkuil:
  • If there is a syllable whose onset and coda both have a shared ν, the longest possible form would be (CCCCC)V[ʔCCCCC], e.g. aňzzgralkstra, wherein κ = [ʔCCCCC]
  • A coda can maximally comprise six to seven consonantal segments: V[ʔCCCCC] or [ʔCCCCCC] e.g. a'ňzzgramara'lksstr*a*
    The challenge of singing in Ithkuil lies in the necessity to accurately and consistently articulate each segment of the consonant cluster within a very short time. The duration of the syllable nucleus is also shortened due to such reasons.