Aspects of Connected Speech

Presented to: Mr.Suhail Falak Sher. By: Muhammad Sajid us Salam.

Aspects of Connected Speech

 Weak

Forms  Yod coalescence  Elision  Assimilation Linking

Weak forms
When we talk about weak forms in the phonetics of English this regards a series of words which have one pronunciation (strong) when isolated, and another (weak) when not stressed within a phrase. a car / e k :/ I bought a car /a b :t k :/

Look at this phrase: I went to the hotel and booked a room for two nights for my father and his best friend.

What are the most important words?

I went to the hotel and booked a room for two nights for my father and his best friend.

If we eliminate the other words can we still understand the message?

went hotel booked room two nights father best friend.

Lets look at the phrase transcribed:

 /a

went t h tu:

tel n

b kt f : r n

 h

ru:m f z best

na ts f ma

frend/

There is a tendency for vowels in unstressed syllables to shift towards the schwa (central position)

Weak form are commonly used words

 Prepositions  Auxiliary verbs  Conjunctions

Strong form Prepositions to for from into of as at

Weak form

Auxiliary verbs

are was were would could should can must

Others and but than that you your her a an the

Weak=unstressed
In the following sentences the underlined words are stressed and so would be pronounced using the strong form: I do like chocolate. She drove to Las Vegas, not from Las Vegas. We were surprised when she told us her secret. (stress on were for emphasis)

Yod coalescence
In English phonetics Yod coalescence is a form of assimilation it is a phenomenon which takes place when /j/ is preceded by certain consonants most commonly /t/ and /d/:

/t/ + /j/ = /tS/

but use your head! b t u:z j : hed/ What you need. /w t u ni:d/ The ball that you brought. / b :l t u: br :t/ Last year. /l :st /

EXAMPLES
for  ( I ) bet you as in Betcha cant catch me.
 1- Betcha  2- Gotcha

for  ( I ve ) got you as in Gotcha at last

/d/ + /j/ = /dZ/ /d

Could you help me? /k d u help mi:/ Would yours work? /w d :z w :k/ She had university students/ i: hd u:ni:v :s ti stju:d nts

Exercise. Identify places where yod coalescence may occur in the following phrases:

What you need is a good job! You told me that you had your homework done. She didnt go to France that year. Could you open the window please? Youve already had yours!

Elision
Elision is very simply the omission of certain sounds in certain contexts. The most important occurrences of this phenomenon regard: 1 Alveolar consonants /t/ and /d/ when sandwiched between two consonants The next day. The last car Hold the dog! Send Frank a card. / / / h /sen neks l :s l fr k de / k :/ d g/ k :d/

Africates / t / & / d /
This can also take place within affricates /t/ and /d / when preceded by a consonant, e.g. lunchtime / l nt ta m/ becomes / l n ta m/

strange days / stre nd

de z/

/ stre n

de z/

Elision of not
The phoneme /t/ is a fundamental part of the negative particle not, the possibility of it being elided makes the foreign students life more difficult. Consider the negative of can if followed by a consonant the /t/ may easily disappear and the only difference between the positive and the negative is a different, longer vowel sound in the second: + I can speak./a k n - I cant speak / /a spi:k/ k :n(t) spi:k/ / /

ASSIMILATION
A

significant difference in natural connected speech is the way that sounds belonging to one word can cause change in sounds belonging to neighbouring words.

Assimilation
Assimilation can be:  of Place  of Voicing  of Manner

Regressive & Progressive.

1- That person. / pp sn/ 2- good boy / b / 3- get them / ett m/
4- read these /ri ddi z/

Assimilation of Place
The most common form involves the movement of place of articulation of the alveolar stops /t/, /d/ and /n/ to a position closer to that of the following sound. For instance, in the phrase ten cars, the /n/ will usually be articulated in a velar position, so that the tongue will be ready to produce the following velar sound /k/. Similarly, in ten boys the /n/ will be produced in a bilabial position, to prepare for the articulation of the bilabial /b/.

BEFORE A VELAR (/k/, /g/) /d/ e.g. good girl / /t/ e.g. that kid / /k/ / /g/ /

BEFORE A BILABIAL (/m/, /b/, /p/) /n/ e.g. ten men /tem men/ /d/ e.g. bad boys / /t/ /bb b /b/ z/ /p/ m ru:mz/ /m/

e.g. hot mushrooms / h p

ASSIMILATION OF VOICING
The vibration of the vocal folds is not something that can be switched on and off very swiftly, as a result groups of consonants tend to be either all voiced or all voiceless. Consider the different endings of books, bags and catches

LINKING
 The

phoneme r does not occur in syllable final position in BBC accent  When a words spelling suggests a final r, and a word beginning with a vowel follows the usual pronunciation is to pronounce with r

EXAMPLES
 Here  Here are  Four  Four eggs

/ / / /

/ but if / / but if /

CONCLUSION
 There is

a great deal of difference between words pronounced in isolation and in the context of connected speech.  Learners of English must be aware of the problem they will meet in listening to colloquial connected speech.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.