In computing, a syllable is a name for a platform-dependent unit of information storage. Depending on the target hardware, various
bit width
Bit-length or bit width is the number of binary digits, called bits, necessary to represent an unsigned integer as a binary number. Formally, the bit-length of a natural number n \geq 0 is
:\ell(n) = \lceil \log_2(n+1) \rceil
where \log_2 is th ...
s (and sometimes internal groupings) are associated with it. Commonly used in the 1960s and 1970s, the term has mostly fallen into disuse in favour of terms like
byte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable unit ...
or
word
A word is a basic element of language that carries an semantics, objective or pragmatics, practical semantics, meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of w ...
.
Examples:
*
3-bit syllables: some experimental
CISC designs
*
8-bit
In computer architecture, 8-bit Integer (computer science), integers or other Data (computing), data units are those that are 8 bits wide (1 octet (computing), octet). Also, 8-bit central processing unit (CPU) and arithmetic logic unit (ALU) arc ...
syllables:
English Electric KDF9
KDF9 was an early British 48-bit computer designed and built by English Electric (which in 1968 was merged into International Computers Limited (ICL)). The first machine came into service in 1964 and the last of 29 machines was decommissioned ...
(represented as
syllabic octals and also called
slob-octals
or
slob
Slob or SLOB may refer to:
* Slob, United States Virgin Islands, a settlement
* Arie Slob (born 1961), Dutch politician
* Jan Janz Slop or Jan Slob (1643–1727), Dutch Golden Age painter
* '' S.L.O.B.'', debut full-length album by American death ...
s in this context)
and
Burroughs large systems
The Burroughs Large Systems Group produced a family of large 48-bit mainframes using stack machine instruction sets with dense syllables.E.g., 12-bit syllables for B5000, 8-bit syllables for B6500 The first machine in the family was the B5000 in ...
(see also:
Burroughs B6x00-7x00 instruction set
The Burroughs B6x00-7x00 instruction set includes the set of valid operations for the Burroughs B6500,
B7500 and later Burroughs large systems, including the current (as of 2006) Unisys Clearpath/MCP systems; it does not include the instructio ...
)
*
12-bit syllables: NCR computers such as the
NCR 315
The NCR 315 Data Processing System, released in January 1962 by NCR, is a second-generation computer. All printed circuit boards use resistor–transistor logic (RTL) to create the various logic elements. It uses 12-bit ''slab'' memory structur ...
(also called
slab
Slab or SLAB may refer to:
Physical materials
* Concrete slab, a flat concrete plate used in construction
* Stone slab, a flat stone used in construction
* Slab (casting), a length of metal
* Slab (geology), that portion of a tectonic plate tha ...
s in this context)
and
Burroughs large systems
The Burroughs Large Systems Group produced a family of large 48-bit mainframes using stack machine instruction sets with dense syllables.E.g., 12-bit syllables for B5000, 8-bit syllables for B6500 The first machine in the family was the B5000 in ...
*
13-bit syllables:
Saturn Launch Vehicle Digital Computer
The Launch Vehicle Digital Computer (LVDC) was a computer that provided the autopilot for the Saturn V rocket from launch to Earth orbit insertion. Designed and manufactured by IBM's Electronics Systems Center in Owego, New York, it was one of th ...
(LVDC)
and
Gemini Spacecraft On-Board Computer
The Gemini Guidance Computer (sometimes Gemini Spacecraft On-Board Computer (OBC)) was a digital, serial computer designed for Project Gemini, America's second human spaceflight project. The computer, which facilitated the control of mission maneu ...
(OBC)
See also
*
Byte
The byte is a unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits. Historically, the byte was the number of bits used to encode a single character of text in a computer and for this reason it is the smallest addressable unit ...
*
Catena (computing)
*
Instruction syllable
In computing, an opcode (abbreviated from operation code, also known as instruction machine code, instruction code, instruction syllable, instruction parcel or opstring) is the portion of a machine language instruction that specifies the operat ...
*
Nibble
In computing, a nibble (occasionally nybble, nyble, or nybl to match the spelling of byte) is a four-bit aggregation, or half an octet. It is also known as half-byte or tetrade. In a networking or telecommunication context, the nibble is oft ...
*
Opcode
In computing, an opcode (abbreviated from operation code, also known as instruction machine code, instruction code, instruction syllable, instruction parcel or opstring) is the portion of a machine language instruction that specifies the operat ...
*
Opstring
In computing, an opcode (abbreviated from operation code, also known as instruction machine code, instruction code, instruction syllable, instruction parcel or opstring) is the portion of a machine language instruction that specifies the operat ...
*
Parcel (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a unit of information is the capacity of some standard data storage system or communication channel, used to measure the capacities of other systems and channels. In information theory, units of information a ...
*
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds typically made up of a syllable nucleus (most often a vowel) with optional initial and final margins (typically, consonants). Syllables are often considered the phonological "bu ...
(in linguistics)
*
Word (computer architecture)
In computing, a word is the natural unit of data used by a particular processor design. A word is a fixed-sized datum handled as a unit by the instruction set or the hardware of the processor. The number of bits or digits in a word (the ''word si ...
References
Computing terminology
Data unit
Units of information
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