{{Short description|Platform-specific data size used for some historical digital hardware}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019|cs1-dates=y}} {{Use list-defined references|date=December 2021}} In computing, a '''syllable''' is a unit of information that describes the size of data for some digital hardware from the 1960s and 1970s. The size of the unit varies by hardware design in much the same way that word does. The term is not used for modern hardware; standardized terms, such as byte, are used instead.

Examples:

* {{anchor|3-bit}}3-bit: some experimental CISC designs<ref name="Jones_2016_CISC"/><ref name="Jones_1988_CISC"/> * {{anchor|6-bit}}6-bit: Burroughs B8500 * {{anchor|8-bit}}8-bit: English Electric KDF9 (represented as syllabic octals and also called slob-octals<ref name="Beard_1997"/><ref name="CCS_2009"/> or slobs in this context)<ref name="EE_1961"/> and Burroughs B6500, B6700/B7700, and successors (see also: Burroughs B6x00-7x00 instruction set) * {{anchor|12-bit}}12-bit: NCR computers such as the NCR 315<ref name="Schneider_1970"/> (also called slabs in this context)<ref name="Schneider_1970"/><ref name="NCR_315_EDPS"/><ref name="Bardin_1963"/> and Burroughs B5000, B5500, and B5700 (see also: B5000 instruction set) * {{anchor|13-bit}}13-bit: Saturn Launch Vehicle Digital Computer (LVDC)<ref name="Burkey_2009_LVDC"/> and Gemini Spacecraft On-Board Computer (OBC)<ref name="Burkey_2010_Gemini"/>

==See also== * {{Annotated link|Catena (computing)}} * {{Annotated link|Nibble}} * {{Annotated link|Opcode|Opcode, aka instruction syllable}} * {{Annotated link|Parcel (computing)}} * {{Annotated link|Syllable}} (in linguistics)

==References== {{Reflist|refs= <ref name="Jones_2016_CISC">{{cite web |title=A Minimal CISC |work=Computer Architecture On-Line Collection |author-first=Douglas W. |author-last=Jones |publisher=The University of Iowa, Department of Computer Science |date=2016 |orig-date=2012 |location=Iowa City, USA |url=http://homepage.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/arch/cisc/ |access-date=2016-05-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528125208/http://homepage.cs.uiowa.edu/~jones/arch/cisc/ |archive-date=2016-05-28}}</ref> <ref name="Jones_1988_CISC">{{cite journal |title=A Minimal CISC |author-first=Douglas W. |author-last=Jones<!-- |other=The University of Iowa, Department of Computer Science, Iowa City, USA --> |journal=ACM SIGARCH Computer Architecture News |publisher=Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) |location=New York, USA |date=June 1988 |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=56–63 |doi=10.1145/48675.48684 |s2cid=17280173 |doi-access=free }}</ref> <ref name="Schneider_1970">{{cite book |title=Datenverarbeitungs-Lexikon |language=de |trans-title=Lexicon of information technology |author-first=Carl |author-last=Schneider |date=2013 |orig-date=1970 |publisher=Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH / Betriebswirtschaftlicher Verlag Dr. Th. Gabler GmbH |location=Wiesbaden, Germany |edition=softcover reprint of hardcover 1st |isbn=978-3-409-31831-0<!-- softcover reprint --> |id={{ISBN|3-663-13618-3}} / {{ISBN|978-3-663-13618-7}} (ebook)<!-- ebook --> |doi=10.1007/978-3-663-13618-7 |pages=201, 308 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3aN9BwAAQBAJ |access-date=2016-05-24 |quote-pages=201, 308 |quote=''slab'', Abk. aus ''syllable''&nbsp;= Silbe, die kleinste adressierbare Informationseinheit für 12 bit zur Übertragung von zwei Alphazeichen oder drei numerischen Zeichen. ''(NCR)'' […] Hardware: Datenstruktur: NCR 315-100&nbsp;/ NCR 315-RMC; Wortlänge: Silbe; Bits: 12; Bytes: –; Dezimalziffern: 3; Zeichen: 2; Gleitkommadarstellung: fest verdrahtet; Mantisse: 4 Silben; Exponent: 1 Silbe (11 Stellen + 1 Vorzeichen) |trans-quote=''slab'', abbr. for ''syllable''&nbsp;= syllable, smallest addressable information unit for 12 bits for the transfer of two alphabetical characters or three numerical characters. ''(NCR)'' […] Hardware: Data structure: NCR 315-100&nbsp;/ NCR 315-RMC; Word length: Syllable; Bits: 12; Bytes: –; Decimal digits: 3; Characters: 2; Floating point format: hard-wired; Significand: 4 syllables; Exponent: 1 syllable (11 digits + 1 prefix)}}</ref> <ref name="NCR_315_EDPS">{{cite web |url=http://www.thecorememory.com/NCR_315_EDPS.pdf |title=315 Electronic Data Processing System |publisher=NCR |date=November 1965 |id=NCR MPN ST-5008-15 |access-date=2015-01-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524113545/http://www.thecorememory.com/NCR_315_EDPS.pdf |archive-date=2016-05-24}}</ref> <ref name="Bardin_1963">{{cite journal |author-last=Bardin |author-first=Hillel |date=1963 |title=NCR 315 Seminar |journal=Computer Usage Communique |volume=2 |number=3 |url=http://www.thecorememory.com/NCR_315_Seminar.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160524113611/http://www.thecorememory.com/NCR_315_Seminar.pdf |archive-date=2016-05-24}}</ref> <ref name="Burkey_2009_LVDC">{{cite web |title=Virtual AGC — AGS — LVDC — Gemini: Launch Vehicle Digital Computer (LVDC): Saturn IB and Saturn V Rockets |author-first=Ronald |author-last=Burkey |date=2009-08-21 |url=http://apollo.josefsipek.net/LVDC.html |access-date=2016-05-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528122247/http://apollo.josefsipek.net/LVDC.html |archive-date=2016-05-28}}</ref> <ref name="Burkey_2010_Gemini">{{cite web |title=Gemini Spacecraft Computer (OBC): Layout of Memory Words |author-first=Ronald |author-last=Burkey |date=2010-09-06 |orig-date=2011 |url=http://apollo.josefsipek.net/Gemini.html<!-- http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/Gemini.htp --> |access-date=2016-05-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160528122439/http://apollo.josefsipek.net/Gemini.html <!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20160528114015/http://www.ibiblio.org/apollo/Gemini.htp --> |archive-date=2016-05-28}}</ref> <ref name="EE_1961">{{cite book |title=English Electric KDF9: Very high speed data processing system for Commerce, Industry, Science |type=Product flyer |date=c. 1961 |publisher=English Electric |id=Publication No. DP/103. 096320WP/RP0961 |url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/KDF9_Flier.pdf |access-date=2020-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727143037/http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/KDF9_Flier.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-27}}</ref> <ref name="Beard_1997">{{anchor|Beard-1997}}{{cite magazine |magazine=Resurrection - The Bulletin of the Computer Conservation Society |issn=0958-7403 |publisher=Computer Conservation Society (CCS) |number=18 |date=Autumn 1997 |orig-date=1996-10-01 |title=The KDF9 Computer — 30 Years On |author-first=Bob |author-last=Beard |pages=7–15 [9, 11] |url=http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/Archive/Resurrection/pdf/res18.pdf |access-date=2020-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727140754/http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/Archive/Resurrection/pdf/res18.pdf |archive-date=2020-07-27}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20200427075718/http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/CCS/res/res18.htm#c] (NB. This is an edited version of a talk given to North West Group of the Society at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester, UK on 1996-10-01. It mentions the term "slob"<!-- not a mere typo for "slab" as it mentioned twice in the article --> and "slob-octal" as equivalent to "syllabic octal".)</ref> <ref name="CCS_2009">{{cite web |title=Architecture of the English Electric KDF9 computer. |version=Version 1 |date=September 2009 |publisher=Computer Conservation Society (CCS) |id=CCS-N4X2 |url=http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ccs-n2x2.pdf |access-date=2020-07-27 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404195007/http://www.ourcomputerheritage.org/ccs-n2x2.pdf |archive-date=2020-04-04}} (NB. Refers to Beard's 1997 article.)</ref> }}

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Category:Computing terminology Category:Data unit Category:Units of information

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