Reduced forms in common American pronunciation

mostly adapted from <www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/8995/relaxed.html>

You wont understand Americans unless you recognize these informal forms. They will understand you whether
you use these forms or a dictionarys. Dont use these in a lecture.

Key to my spellings
A: as in HAT, THAT, MAP
a: the vowel sound in the word THE;
the most unstressed and short
vowel sound possible; the sound
that is represented by an upside-
down e in a dictionarys spelling of
pronunciation; a schwa
AH: as in STOP, NOT, ROCK
O: as in BUCK, LOVE, NONE
OH: as in GO, TOE, ROW
U: as in PUT, FOOT, GOOD
OO: as in YOU, WHO, BLUE
IGH: as in WHY, BUY, HIGH
D (when it replaces a T, as it
does between 2 vowels if the first
is stressed): Only the very tip of the
tongue-tip taps your alveolus and
for less time than in a real D. Feel
this with your mouth closed.
----------------------------------------
Ta = TO
Its hard Ta remember.
Da = TO
Try Da hurry.
Y / Ya = YOU
Yknow / Ya know what I mean?
YUR = YOUR
YUR money or YUR life
!"R = OUR
!"R #ar is $arked far away.
%a / DI%a = DID YOU
%a / DI%a e&er lose your keys?
'O%a = '"!T DID YOU
'O%a do o&er the weekend?
'ODaYa/'OT("a='"!T DO
YOU
'ODaYa / 'OT("a ha&e there?
'OT("a/'ODaYa='"!T !R)
YOU
'OT("a/'ODaYa drinkin?
'OT(")R = '"!T I* YOUR
'OT(")R name?
%!+ = DO YOU "!+)
%!+ a minute?
%!+ = DID YOU "!+)
%!+ a ,ood time?
"!-Ta = "!+) TO
I "!-Ta ,o to the bathroom.
.!"Da = "!+) .OT TO
*orry/ I .!"Da ,o now.
.U0a = .OI0. TO
I1m .U0a write to you.
'!"0a = '!0T TO
I '!"0a sto$ now.
YOO*Ta = U*)D TO2as an au3. &4
*he YOO*Ta #ome here often.
*"UDa = *"OU5D "!+)
You *"UDa told me he was your
boyfriend
'UDa = 'OU5D "!+)
I 'UDa ,one/ but it was rainin,.
(UDa = (OU5D "!+)
You (UDa #ome with us6 we had
a #ar.
*"UDa0a/ 'UDa0a/ (UDa0a =
*"70T/'70T/(OU5D0T "!+)
You *"7/ '7/ (UDa0a eaten it.
8I."Da = 8I."T "!+)
You 8I."Da ,otten si#k.
*"U%a/ 'U%a/ (U%a = *"OU5D
YOU/ 'OU5D YOU/ (OU5D YOU
*"U%a/ 'U%a/ (U%a redo it?
(a0 = (!0
"ow (a0 I hel$ you?
(!0 = (!0T
*orry/ I (!0 hel$ you.
DO"0 = DO0T
I DO"0 #are what they think.
DU0O" = DO01T 90O'
Does she like you? :I DU0O".
(U; = <)(!U*)
I did it (U; he told me to.
T*9O" = 5)T1* .O
T*9O" to the mo&ies
T*O= = '"!T1* U=?
T*O=/ 8ike?
=R!"5Y = =RO<!<5Y
"es =R!"5Y at work now.
8)5= / 8a)5= = 8!Y I ")5=
8)5= / 8a)5= you/ *ir?
09YOO = T"!09 YOU
09YOO &ery mu#h
5)8)) = 5)T 8)
5)8)) show you somethin,
.I8)) = .I+) 8)
.I8)) a few minutes to think it
o&er.
-a / -UR = -OR
*he did that work -a nothin,.
a = O-
Thats enou,h a that.
a5!"Da = ! 5OT O-
I ha&e a5!"Da friends.
9I."0a / 9I."0Da = 9I0D O-
You look 9I."0a / 9I."0Da off.
*ORDa = *ORT O-
It was *ORDa unethi#al to do it.
!Da / OUD! = OUT O-
.et !Da / OUD! my #ar
*Oa8 = *O8)T"I0.
I wish I had *Oa8 Ta do.
Homework:
Read each f orm t o an Ameri can.
Ask hi m/ her t o guess i t s
di ct i onary f orm. Wri t e a dash
bef ore any s/ he can t correct l y
guess. Put an ext ra dash bef ore
any s/ he can t guess even af t er
you t hen spel l i t . Underl i ne any
s/ he cl ai ms i sn t Ameri can.
OUT-TAKE:
*a8 = *O8)
%!+ *a8 more?
Alternative OUT-TAKES from HW asst:
together with his/her comment; s/he dictates it and you write it.
Hand in his/her choice, together with his/her verbatim comment.
Relaxed Pronunciation: Reduced forms in American ronunciation
htt$>//www.,eo#ities.#om/!thens/!#ro$olis/?@@A/rela3ed.html
0ame of the $a,e at the abo&e UR5> Rela3ed =ronun#iation
I0.5)* O05I0) =R)*)0T*>

-orewarnin,> !ll lan,ua,es ha&e s$oken forms whi#h are una##e$table when written but
#om$letely a##e$table when s$oken. That1s why I think it is so im$ortant to alert your students
to the differen#es between the written and s$oken forms. To not do so is a ,reat disser&i#e to
your students/ as @@B of the time/ be it in &ideos/ $resentations or talkin, with nati&e s$eakers/
they will hear Rela3ed =ronun#iation. Of #ourse/ I am not en#oura,in, neither you nor your
students to use Rela3ed =ronun#iation all the time. It1s really u$ to you and of #ourse you
should really be sele#ti&e when it #omes to sound &ery informal. 2The #onte3t will hel$ you
determine the a$$ro$riate time. !bo&e all/ be sensible. "a&e fun and enCoy the list
[I (DM) changed the phonetic spelling system and some of the other info
and added a few entries.]