ABSTRACT
Typically, Amdo syllables allow only one consonant in the onset position and one in the coda position. When an Amdo syllable appears to have a consonant cluster in the onset position, the cluster typically does not behave the same as, say, an English onset cluster. A Tibetan syllable, thus, can consist of a subset of a number of elements including a prefix, a superjoined or subjoined letter, a root letter, a vowel diacritic, a suffix, and a post-suffix. Tibetan writing is syllable-based, which makes it even more crucial for learners to understand the syllable structure, especially, to know how each element in Tibetan writing corresponds to each element in the pronunciation of a syllable. Learners only need to know that floating extrasyllabic consonants do surface sometimes, normally within word boundaries. When listening to the recording, the learner should pay attention to the pronunciations and learn them on a case by case basis.
