In phonetics and phonology, a syllabic attack, also called syllabic startup, is the part of a syllable that precedes the nucleus of the syllable. In the study of the synonymous languages, the attacks are known as initials (in Chinese, CT: 聲母, CS: 声母, PY: shēngmǔ) Syllabic structure
A syllable has a structure that begins with an attack, followed by a rhyme or final part (yunmu). syllable: C1 (C2) V1 (V2) (C3) (C4) = attack: C1 (C2) + rhyme: V1 (V2) (C3) (C4) syllable: V1 (V2) (C3) (C4) = attack: Ø (null) + rhyme: V1 (V2) (C3) (C4) (C = consonant, V = vowel, optional components are shown in parentheses.) Depending on the phonosynxis of a language, the attack may consist of a single consonant, a cluster of consonants, or be null. If a syllable begins with a vowel or another syllable, it is said that the syllable has no attack or has a null attack. (Most languages allow this possibility.) In the studies of the Chinese languages, the initial null and zero initial terms are used frequently. Chinese language The attack or beginning was called shēngniǔ (traditional Chinese: 聲 紐; simplified Chinese: 声 纽), or simply shēng or niǔ, in the traditional phonological studies since the dynasty Jìn. For each group of characters pronounced with the same initial consonant, one was taken to denominate the initial consonant. We also took one character from the group with no initial consonant; this was the beginning of the null initial concept.
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