marcelo andrade y. · 2020. 9. 11. · in connected speech, however, the pronunciation of /t/...

AssimilationCoalescence

Elision

Marcelo Andrade Y.

Sede Puerto Montt

Sede Puerto Montt

Features of Connected SpeechTheory and practice for English learners

Voiceless consonants are on the left and voiced consonants on the right.

SPEECH ORGANS

The International Phonetic Alphabet

Vocal chords

Pharynx

Soft Palate

Hard palate

Tip of the tongue

Lips

Blade

Back ofthe

tongue

TeethAlveolar Ridge

Nasal Cavity

bilabial

Plosive

Fricative

p b

s z

t

t d k

f v

m n

l

r jw

Affricate

Nasal

Lateral

Approximant

Labio-dental

Dental Alveolar Post-alveolar

Palatal Velar Glottal

h

ɡ

CONTENTS

Foreword………………………………………………………………………………… 4 Unit 1: Assimilation 1.1 Assimilation of /t/ as /p/…………………………………………………….… 6 1.2 Assimilation of /t/ as /k/……………………………………………………… 7 1.3 Assimilation of /t/ as /t/………………………………………….…………… .8 1.4 Assimilation of /d/ as /b/……………………………………………………. 10 1.5 Assimilation of /d/ as //…………………………………………………….. 11 1.6 Assimilation of /d/ as /d/…………………………………………………… 12 1. 7 Assimilation of /n/ as /m/…………………………………………………… 12 1.8 Assimilation of /n/ as /.......................................................................13 1.9 Assimilation of /n/as /n̪/…………………………………………………. 14 Unit 2: Coalescence 2.1 + = .............................................................................................. 16 2.2 + = ................................................................................................ 17 2.3 + = ……………………………………………………………………… 17 2.4 + = 18 Unit 3: Elision 3.1 Elision of /t/………………………………………………………………… 19 3.2 Elision of /d/……………………………………………………………….. 22 3.3 Elision of /h/……………………………………………………………….. 25 3.4 Elision of /l/………………………………………………………………… 26 3.5 Elision of /t/………………………………………………………………… 26 3.6 Elision of //………………………………………………………………… 27 3.7 Special cases…………………………………………………………………. 30 The answers and recordings of this book are available on: mandradey.wixsite.com/connectedspeech

Foreword

As we all know, when we talk, we do not pronounce all the sounds of the words we are using unless we are doing it carefully. In casual, rapid speech, as in most everyday situations, speakers modify the pronunciation of some sounds by changing one phoneme for another, linking one sound to another, combining two sounds into one or omitting some sounds. These are all features of the production of connected speech.

The purpose of this book is to describe the most common changes that occur in some English phonemes when native speakers as well as �luent speakers of English produce them in casual and fast conversations. Becoming aware of these processes and identifying them may allow the English learner to use these features when he or she talks.

This work presents examples and exercises derived from the experience of the author as a professor in the �ield of Phonetics and Phonology for over ten years and it seeks to become a teaching resource to be used both inside and outside the classroom by EFL students.

Finally, this material is the result of the support given by Universidad Austral de Chile to its teachers to develop professionally and generate knowledge for the local community.

ISBN: 978-956-390-054-5

4

Marcelo Andrade Features of connected speech

UNIT 1 ASSIMILATION The �irst feature of connected speech described in this book is

assimilation. It refers to the process in which one sound is affected by the neighbouring sound -either the preceding sound or the following one. There are three types of assimilation: of place, voice and manner.

ASSIMILATION OF PLACE

Assimilation of place refers to the fact that when the phonemes /t/, /d/ and /n/ precede bilabial, velar or dental sounds, in rapid speech, speakers usually change the point of articulation of these consonant sounds and they acquire the characteristics of the next phoneme. In this way, the phoneme /t/, for example, may be pronounced as /p/ before the bilabials sounds /b/, /p/ and /m/ as in that man //. Since the phoneme /m/ affected the previous sound, this type of assimilation of place is called regressive assimilation.

Notice that the changes described below in terms of assimilation do not occur when the phoneme /t/ is between consonants. In that case, speakers usually omit the sound /t/ instead of changing it into another sound. This omission is called elision, which is the topic of Unit 5.

ASSIMILATION OF /t/

The phoneme /t/ is a plosive sound which

means that in careful speech or in isolation, it is pronounced by �irst blocking the airstream coming from the lungs by placing the tip of the tongue in the alveolar ridge (see �igure 1) and then the air is released. As a result of this process, there is a brief burst of air, which is called plosion. Fig. 1

5


In connected speech, however, the pronunciation of /t/ changes depending on the neighbouring sounds. Let us see some cases when /t/ is pronounced in a different way. .

In rapid speech, when the sound /t/ is followed by the bilabial

sounds /p/, /b/, or /m/, it is pronounced as /p/. For example, in eight people / the pronunciation becomes /The same happens in combinations such as that man or light brown in which the pronunciation is /and / respectively.

Here are more examples: That boy / Not me! /Hot milk / Seat belt / Let me go! / I brought my books /

1A. Listen and repeat.

Exercise 1.

Practise changing the phoneme /t/ in bold before /m/, /p/ and /b/ to /p/ in the following cases. Listen and write your answers using phonemic symbols. Example: A white book ……………………………………….

1. That’s about me! ……………………………………

2. It bit my �inger. ……………………………………

3. How much will it be? ……………………………………

4. She lit my cigarette. ……………………………………

Assimilation of /t/ as /p/ (before bilabial sounds) 1A

6


that fat eight art fruit

5. We bought mushrooms. ……………………………………

6. There’s a light breeze. ……………………………………

7. Write both of your names. ……………………………………

8. Your dog tried to bite me. ……………………………………

9. Visit me in summer. ……………………………………

10. Let it be. ……………………………………

11. It’s cold. I’ll put my sweater on. ……………………………………

12. Ouch! I cut my �inger. ……………………………………

1B. Now listen and repeat the sentences after the recording.

Likewise, when the sound /t/ is followed by the velar sounds /k/ or //, it is pronounced as /k/. For example, in light colour / the pronunciation becomes /The same happens in combinations such as that gun in which the pronunciation is /.

1C. Some examples:

That girl / Eight cars A great castle A hot coffee Exercise 2. Match the two columns to make possible word combinations.

1D. Then listen and repeat. ………………………………….. ………………………………….. ………………………………….. ………………………………….. …………………………………..

Assimilation of /t/ as /k/ (before velar sounds)1.2

goals cake cat gallery car

7


Exercise 3. Make a sentence with each of the combinations in the previous exercise and read them aloud.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Exercise 4 Draw a line from “Start” to “Finish” passing through the boxes where /t/ may be pronounced as /k/. use only horizontal and vertical lines.

art gallery Get through A lot more Most people Great Britain

eight girls About ten tight-knit Quiet place Chocolate cake

hot coffee Eight questions get cold Eight cards Short question

Not many Almost nine The best hotel Visit me Fat cat

Football Let me That pen Quit smoking that car

START

FINISH

8


The sound /t/ also changes its point of articulation when

preceding the dental sounds and Thus the tip of the tongue, which is in the alveolar ridge moves to touch the teeth and is ready to produce the dental phoneme that follows the /t/ sound. The resulting /t/ becomes more similar to the sound produced in Spanish as in the word té, the sound is transcribed with the symbol [t ].

1E. Listen to the examples: Eight thieves / ˈ/ I got thirsty t ̪ Hit them /t ̪ About thirty /t ̪ Exercise 5

1F. Circle the word in which the phoneme /t/ is assimilated as a different sound in each line. Then listen and check. Example: Wet paint Light meal get through eight cars

White book that person light bulb fat cat Eight people Get cold bright colour what can you do? Right therapy cut through that book not them ASSIMILATION OF /d/

The phoneme /d/ is a plosive sound which is also articulated by placing the tip of the tongue in the alveolar ridge and then the air is released, just as the phoneme /t/. However, there is less intensity than in the sound /t/ in terms of the release of air. We will see how the sound /d/ changes when it precedes certain consonants.

Assimilation of /t/ as /t/ (before dental sounds) 1.3

Fig. 2

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Just as the sound /t/, the phoneme /b/ is in�luenced by the

bilabial sounds /p/, /b/ and /m/. Before these, it becomes /b/. Notice that when the /d/ sound is before a bilabial and after a consonant sound, as in cold meat, speakers tend to omit the /d/ instead of changing it to /b/. So it sounds as /

1G. Look and listen to these examples:

1. A red bag /ə reb bæɡ/ 2. Goodbye / ˌɡʊbˈbaɪ / 3. A Bad person /ə bæb ˈpɜːsn/ 4. Wide beach /waɪb biːtʃ/ 5. Dead bird /deb bɜːd/ 6. A good book /ə ɡʊb bʊk/ Exercise 6. Write the phonemic transcription for these utterances as they are said in a casual way at a normal speed. 1. That would be great! ………………………………………….. 2. I had been there before. ………………………………………….. 3. It was a good business. ………………………………………….. 4. He is a good brother ………………………………………….. 5. Alice usually has high blood pressure ………………………………………….. 6. We came here in a crowded bus ………………………………………….. 7. I read both of them. ………………………………………….. Now read the sentences aloud producing the assimilation of /d/.

1H. Then listen and check.

Assimilation of /d/ as /b/ (before bilabial sounds) 1.4

10


The phoneme /d/ is also modi�ied when it precedes the velar sound /g/ or /k/. In this case, the back part of the tongue approaches the velum in order to prepare the next sound. Then the phoneme /g/ is pronounced. Notice that this phoneme is not produced twice. Instead of the �inal /d/, there is incomplete articulation of /ɡ/, but it does not sound.

1I. Listen to these examples:

1. A bad guy /ə bæɡ ɡaɪ/ 2. A wide garden /ə waɪɡ ˈɡɑːdn/ 3. A good game /ə ɡʊɡ ɡeɪm/ 4. A good car /ə ɡʊɡ kɑː / 5. A red glass /ə reɡ ɡlɑːs/

Exercise 7 Draw a line from “Start” to “Finish” passing through the boxes where /d/ may be pronounced as /ɡ/

A sad girl A Good man Loud voice Sad boy Cold morning

A good guy Field trip A red carpet A wide gate A bad cold

I would go A wide garden I could get it A hard test a card game

get cold grandma A bad day Blood bank bread crumb

Assimilation of /d/ as // (before velar sounds) 1.5

START

FINISH

11


When the phoneme /d/ is followed by a dental sound, namely, / or /, the alveolar sound /d/ becomes dental, which means that the tip of the tongue is not in the alveolar ridge, but it touches the teeth (as it happens in Spanish) in order to produce the next sound, which is also dental. The symbol to represent the dental /d/ sound is [d]

1J. Listen: bad thing /bædˈθɪŋ/ I said “Thank you” /ˈaɪ ˈsed θæŋk ju/ I’m afraid that… /aɪm əˈfreɪd ðæt/

Exercise 8. Read the following transcription and write the sentences in English:

Listen.

1. ˈðeɪ həd ðə seɪm ˈprɒbləm 2. ʃi ˈsed ðət ʃi həd kʌm lɑːst ˈmʌndeɪ. 3. ðɪs ˈsɪti həz ə ˈveri ɡʊd ˈθɪətə 4. hi wəz ɪn ɪz mɪd ˈθɜːtiz 5. ʃi həd ðɪs ˈmesɪdʒ fə ju 6. aɪ red ˈθɜːti ˈpeɪdʒɪz əv ðə bʊk.

The phoneme /n/ is also modi�ied by the bilabial sounds /m/, /p/ and /b/when these follow it. In this case, the sound /n/ becomes bilabial as well and it is pronounced as /m/. This can be heard in the words in my place / ten people

Assimilation of /n/ as /m/ (before bilabial sounds) 1.7

Assimilation of /d/ as /d/ (before dental sounds) 1.6

12


The same happens in Spanish in expressions such as en barco or cien pesos, where the /n/ can be pronounced as /m/.

Here are more examples.

1K. Listen and repeat. Phone book /fəʊm bʊk/ Caribbean beach /ˌkærɪˈbi:əm biːtʃ/ Fashion model/ˈfæʃəm ˈmɒdl/ Win millions /ˈwɪm ˈmɪlɪənz/ Stolen bag/ ˈstəʊləm bæɡ/ Seven pounds / ˈsevəm ˈpaʊndz/ Egyptian pyramids /ɪˈdʒɪpʃəm ˈpɪrəmɪdz/ German bus /ˈdʒɜːməm ˈbʌs/ Exercise 9. Use two or more phrases from the examples above in the same sentence. Then read them aloud. Make sure you pronounce the �inal /n/ in the �irst word as /m/. Write three sentences. Example: A German bus took us to the Egyptian pyramids. 1. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2. ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3. ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

The sound /n/ is modi�ied and pronounced as /when it is followed by the velar sounds /k and /n the words ten cars or ten goals Normally, to produce the sound /n/ the tongue touches the alveolar ridge, but when there is a velar sound after it, the back part of the tongue goes up and touches the soft palate and is ready to produce the corresponding velar sound.

Assimilation of /n/ as /before velar sounds 1.8

13


1L. Read and listen to these examples:

Brazilian girl /brəˈzɪlɪə ɡɜːl / Ten golden medals /te ˈɡəʊldəm ˈmedlz / Asian car /ˈeɪdʒə ˈkɑː / Television camera /ˈtelɪˌvɪʒə ˈkæmərə/ A foreign country /ə ˈfɒrə ˈkʌntri / Exercise 10. Make possible combinations with the words from the two boxes and write them on the lines below. Then read them aloud.

1. ………………………………………………. 2. ………………………………………………. 3. ………………………………………………. 4. ………………………………………………. 5. ………………………………………………. 6. ………………………………………………. 7. ……………………………………………….

thin wooden American brown

cap cupboard cab computer Girl cabin cat

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In this case, the sound /n/ becomes dental, which means that the tongue touches the teeth as it is produced in the Spanish word cuando and its symbol is /n/.

1M. Read and listen to these examples:

Ten things One third On Thursday

Another type of assimilation is the assimilation of voice, in which one voiced sound becomes voiceless, e.g. in the form have to /the voiced labiodental fricative /v/ becomes voiceless and it is pronounced as /ˈLikewise, the fricative /z/ becomes voiceless in has to /ˈand is normally pronounced as /ˈThe third common case of this type of assimilation is in the words supposed to /ˈwhich is pronounced as /ˈAnd one last case of assimilation of voice is used to ˈwhich changes to ˈ

Assimilation of /n/as /n̪/before dental sounds

1.9

15


Unit 2 Coalescence

The second feature of connected speech included in this book is coalescence. It consists in merging two sounds into one. It often involves the sound /when it appears after the sounds Then a new sound is produced as in the expression Nice to meet you /in which the sound /t/ followed by the sound /makes the sound / and the expression is pronounced as / Likewise, the following sounds are formed as part of this phenomenon:

When the sound followed by 2A Listen to the examples:

Did you? Could you? Had you been here before? I couldn’t �ind you.

Exercise 12. 2B Listen and practise.

Have you found your keys? I heard you yawn. He’ll send you the email. I hope you have a good year. She said you were coming.

+ = 2.1

16


When followed bythe sound 2C Listen to the examples:

That’s what you said. /ˈðæts ˈwɒu ˈsed/ Eat your food! /ˈiːtə ˈfuːd/ Couldn’t you? /ˈkʊdntʃu/ Didn’t you? ˈʃ Not yet. /ˈnɒtˈʃet/ Last year /lɑːsˈtʃiə/ I’m not talking about you /aɪm nɒt ˈtɔːkɪŋ əˈbaʊˈtʃu/ That’s not yours. /ˈðæts nɒtˈʃɔːz/ It’s eight yards long. /ɪts eɪˈtʃɑːdz ˈlɒŋ/

When followed bythe sound 2D Listen to the examples:

This year / ðɪˈʃiə/ Is this your phone? / ɪz ˈðɪʃə ˈfəʊn/ Please introduce yourself / ˈpliːz ˌɪntrəˈdjuːʃɔːˈself/ What’s your name? /ˈwɒtʃə ˈneɪm/ I took the advice you gave me. / aɪ ˈtʊk ði ədˈvaɪʃu ˈɡeɪv miː/ Do you know this young man? /də ju nəʊ ðɪˈʃʌŋ mæn/ I think I’ll travel this year. / aɪ ˈθɪŋk aɪl ˈtrævl ðɪˈʃiə/ Where are the books you brought? / weər ə ðə ˈbʊkʃu ˈbrɔːt/

+ =

2.2

+ = 2.3

17


4. When followed bythe sound Examples:

Does your brother live here? /dəjə ˈbrʌðə ˈlɪv ˈhɪə/ He’s always yelling. /hiz ˈɔːlweɪˈelɪŋ/ Those yellow �lowers are beautiful! /ðəʊˈjeləʊ ˈ�laʊəz ə ˈbjuːtəfl/ He’s been working hard these years. /hiz biːn ˈwɜːkɪŋ ˈhɑːd ˈðiːiəz/ Where are the CDs you lent me? /ˈweər ə ðə ˈsiːˈdiːu ˈlent miː/ Has your brother been here before? /həə ˈbrʌðə biːn ˈhɪə bɪˈfɔː/

2E Listen and practise.

2F Now listen to the song “The Scientist” and circle the cases of

coalescence in the following lines.

Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry You don't know how lovely you are

I had to �ind you Tell you I need you

Tell you I set you apart

Tell me your secrets And ask me your questions Oh, let's go back to the start

+ = 2.4

18


Unit 3 Elision

The third phenomenon of connected speech we will see in this book is called elision, which refers to the fact of omitting one or more sounds as we talk. That is, for example, the case of the phonemes /t/ and /d/ when they are found between consonants as in last week and grandson respectively. In rapid speech these words are pronounced / Also, other phonemes are omitted in very speci�ic contexts such as /h/ in the pronouns he, him, her and the possessive adjectives his, and her, /v/ in the word of before consonants as in a lot of time , and /l/ in words having // before the consonant /l/ as in almost . In this work, you will also �ind some cases of elision of /inside a word (internal elision) as in the word secretary, which is produced as or discovery In this case, the words lose a syllable. Elision of schwa also occurs when some words have the combinations consonant + + /l/ in their �inal syllable as in pedal which then becomes or consonant + + /n/ in their �inal syllable as in button which then becomes This phenomenon is known as syllabic consonant.

Now let us see each of the cases of elision in detail.

Omitting the sound /t/ when it is between consonants is a

common feature of native speakers’ rapid and casual speech. For instance, in the sentence It’s ten past four there is a tendency to omit the sound /t/.

Elision of 3.1

19


3A Here are some more examples of elision of /t/ between consonants:

Last Monday /ˈlɑːs ˈmʌndeɪ/ She sent me an e-mail /ʃi ˈsem miː ən ˈiːmeɪl/ Next week /ˈneks ˈwiːk/ It’s ten past four /ɪts ˈtem ˈpɑːs ˈfɔː/ We �inished �irst /wi ˈfɪnɪʃ ˈfɜːst/ He lent me his phone / hi ˈlent miː ɪz ˈfəʊn/

The only exception occurs when the sound after /t/ is the glottal

fricative /h/ as in They looked happy, and it is therefore pronounced as

When we use the negative form can’t, sometimes it is followed by a consonant and then the sound /t/ is also omitted as in we can’t go /wi ˈkɑːŋ ɡəʊ/. The af�irmative form of this sentence we can go is pronounced as /wi kəŋ ˈɡəʊ/ As you can see, both forms are very similar, so in order to make a clearer distinction between the negative form and the af�irmative form of can, we place the stress in the form can’t for negative sentences and stress the main verb in the case of af�irmative sentences. Study these examples (the contrastive stress is underlined):

They can play the piano. /ˈðeɪ kəm ˈpleɪ ðə pɪˈænəʊ/ She can’t play baseball. /ʃi ˈkɑːm pleɪ ˈbeɪsbɔːl He can’t run so fast. /hi ˈkɑːn rʌn ˈsəʊ ˈfɑːst/ He can run very fast. /hi kən ˈrʌn ˈveri ˈfɑːst/ I can swim. / ˈaɪ kən sˈwɪm/ I can’t swim /ˈaɪ ˈkɑːnt swɪm/

3B Now listen and repeat.

20


Exercise 14 3C Read the following sentences aloud and focus on the

underlined t. Cross out the cases in which the sound /t/ is elided, and circle the cases when the sound /t/ is kept. Then listen and check. Examples:

I want that. She kept it in the box

1. That’s another part of the story 2. Tim left his books at school. 3. That’s not the one I wanted. 4. She lives in the east of town. 5. He won’t go anywhere. 6. We’re almost there. 7. He doesn’t understand. 8. I can’t remember that.

Exercise 15 Draw a line from “Start” to “Finish” passing through the boxes where /t/ is omitted.

next Wednesday I can’t go We stopped there

Eight books

It might be get better She baked them Nice to meet you

hot milk Didn’t you? Aren’t they? That car

I taught them The best hotel stuntmen last week

START

FINISH

21


Exercise 16 3D Listen to the following sentences containing a past form.

Circle the past ending in which the sound /t/ is not pronounced

1. We booked a table for two 2. He passed by my house a while ago. 3. We talked on the phone. 4. She cooked for twenty people 5. We watched a good movie 6. Jack smoked eight cigarettes yesterday. 7. I thanked him for the gift. 8. Sally and I walked by the river. 9. They rushed home after school. 10. They talked about their trip to Europe.

Now listen again and repeat.

The phoneme /d/ can also be elided when it is found between

consonants as in the following examples:

3E Listen to the examples:

Grandmother /ɡræm ˌmʌðə/ Sandpaper /ˈsæmpeɪpə/ She called me yesterday /ʃi ˈkɔːl miː ˈjestədi/ Send me an e-mail. /ˈsem miː ən ˈiːmeɪl/

However, this rule has more restrictions than /t/ since if the next consonant is one of these: /w/, /d/, /r/, or /s/ then the sound /d/ is not omitted.

Elision of 3.2

22


Exercise 17. Cross out all the /d/ sounds that can be omitted when these sentences are pronounced. Then listen and check your answers.

1. I visited my grandfather last Saturday. 2. The children listened to the story. 3. We arrived at eight. 4. I called you many times yesterday. 5. Alex and Katherine married last June. 6. It was Pam’s birthday last Sunday. She turned nineteen. 7. “Help!”, she screamed at them.

3F Listen to the examples:

Exercise 18 Read the following sentences and circle the past endings in which the /d/ sound is not pronounced.

1. We arrived late. 2. What happened_ 3. We imagined it 4. I called them.

5. You frightened me. 6. He opened the bottle.

3G Now listen and check.

Normally, the /d/ sound is omitted in the word and when it is followed by a consonant as in black and white /blæk ən waɪt/. Here are more common examples of elision of /d/ in the word and:

Listen. Rock and roll Fish and chips Come and see Home and dry(=sure of success) Wine and dine (=have a meal with wine at a restaurant)

23


Short and sweet (without unnecessary details) Alive and kicking (=in good health and active) Born and bred (born and educated) Sick and tired (annoyed or tired of something)

Exercise 19 Fill in the blanks with the correct expression from the box.

1. How are you, Max? Here I am, _______________________________ after the surgery.

2. I was ______________________________ in Puerto Montt, so I am used to the rain.

3. People always say that ____________________________ is the traditional English dish.

4. I’m ___________________________of that noise. 5. I’ll tell you the story _________________________________________. 6. Do you want to know your score in the test?

__________________________

3H Now listen and check your answers. Repeat them after the recording.

Fish and chips Come and see Short and sweet Alive and kicking Born and bred Sick and tired

24


The sound /h/ may also be dropped in casual and �luent speech. Speakers often have the tendency to omit it in words such as he, him, her, his, have or who.

The pronouns he and who can be omitted only when they have been mentioned for the second time or when they are in the middle of an utterance, but not when they are at the beginning of it. Normally elision in these cases happens when the sound is after a consonant.

3I Where does he live? /ˈweə dəz i ˈlɪv/ What did he say? /ˈwɒt dɪd i ˈseɪ/ I think he’s at home. /ˈaɪ ˈθɪŋk iz ət ˈhəʊm/ The girl who was here /ðə ˈɡɜːl uː wəz ˈhɪə/ I thought he was right. /ˈaɪ ˈθɔːt i wəz ˈraɪt/ Elision of him, her, his

3J What’s his name? /ˈwɒtsɪz ˈneɪm/ Please ask him to come. /ˈpliːz ˈɑːsk ɪm tə ˈkʌm/ Give her my phone number. /ˈɡɪv ə maɪ ˈfəʊn nʌmbə/ He broke his leg. /hi ˈbrəʊk ɪz ˈleɡ/ Why don’t you call her? /ˈwaɪ ˈdəʊnˈtu ˈkɔːl ə/ Elision of have as an auxiliary verb after a consonant.

3K He must have been in his of�ice. /hi məst əv ˈbiːn ɪn ɪz ˈɒfɪs/ What have you done? /ˈwɒt əv ju ˈdʌn/ I should have studied more. /ˈaɪ ʃəd əv ˈstʌdɪd ˈmɔː/ What have you been up to? /ˈwɒt əv ju ˈbiːn ˈʌp tuː/

Elision of 3.3

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Notice that when the words he, him, her, his, have and who are stressed, the sound /h/ cannot be dropped. For example: I thought he was your brother. /ˈaɪ ˈθɔːt 'hi wəz jə ˈbrʌðə/

Exercise 20 Read the following sentences aloud and circle the sounds that you think are omitted in a natural conversation:

1. That must have been his intention. 2. He can’t have left yet. 3. I already bought the packet of biscuits. 4. I could have left my keys at home. 5. She always drinks two cups of tea in the afternoon. 6. He almost dropped his packet of cigarettes 7. That would have been a good excuse.

3L Listen and check.

Some speakers tend to omit the sound /l/ when it is found after the phoneme / ɔː/ in words such as:

3M Almost /ˈɔːməʊst/ Already /ɔːˈredi/ Always /ˈɔːweɪz/ Alright /ɔːˈraɪt/ Also /ˈɔːlsəʊ/ Although /ɔːˈðəʊ/

When the word of /ɒv/ is followed by a word beginning with a consonant, speakers of English tend to omit the sound /v/ in rapid speech and the vowel becomes a schwa /ə/, and thus resulting in a weak syllable.

Elision of 3.5

Elision of 3.4

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3N Examples: a cup of coffee /ə kʌp ə ˈkɒ�i/ a lot of money /ə lɒt ə ˈmʌni/ a bottle of wine /ə ˈbɒtl ə waɪn/ a carton of milk /ə ˈkɑːtn ə mɪlk/

The vowel sound // is normally omitted in casual speech in certain combinations of vowels and consonants. This type of elision occurs when the sound schwa is in the middle of a word (internal elision).

The most common case of elision of // is known as syllabic consonant. It happens when this sound is in the last syllable of a word, between a consonant and the phonemes /l/ or /n/. Then the schwa disappears and speakers tend to pronounce just the last two consonants. In the phonetic transcription of syllabic consonants a diacritic is used under the symbols for /l/ and /n/ to show that the schwa was elided, and these become /l/ and /n̩/respectively. Look at the examples below.

Consonant + / / + /l/ / / is omitted

3O middle /ˈmɪdl/ /ˈmɪdl/ pedal /ˈpedl/ /ˈpedl/ hospital /ˈhɒspɪtl/ /ˈhɒspɪtl/ couple /ˈkʌpl/ /ˈkʌpl/ channel /ˈtʃænl/ /ˈtʃænl/ classical/ˈklæsɪkl/ /ˈklæsɪkl/ puzzle /ˈpʌzl/ /ˈpʌzl/ parcel /ˈpɑːsl/ /ˈpɑːsl/ hassle /ˈhæsl/ /ˈhæsl/ trouble /ˈtrʌbl/ /ˈtrʌbl/

3P Listen and repeat these sentences: 1. We had some trouble getting to the hospital. 2. On Channel 4, we saw a classical music concert. 3. A couple gave me this parcel for you. 4. It’s a hassle trying to �inish this puzzle.

Elision of 3.6

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Consonant + / / + /n/ / / is omitted

button /ˈbʌtn/ /ˈbʌtn/ garden /ˈɡɑːdn/ /ˈɡɑːdn/ open /ˈəʊpən/ /ˈəʊpn/ listen /ˈlɪsn/ /ˈlɪsn/ prison /ˈprɪzn/ /ˈprɪzn/ deafen /ˈdefn/ /ˈdefn/ seven /ˈsevn/ [ˈsevn] marathon/ˈmærəθən/ /ˈmærəθən/ musician /mjuːˈzɪʃn/ /mjuːˈzɪʃn/ decision /dɪˈsɪʒn/ /dɪˈsɪʒn/

3Q Listen and repeat these sentences:

1. The band has seven musicians. 2. Let’s listen to their �inal decision 3. The marathon starts in front of our garden. 4. That button will open the door.

Another case of elision of // occurs when this sound is found in words which in written form �inish in -tary, -tery or –tory.

/t/ + / / + /ri/ (Ending:–ary, -ery or –ory)

territory /ˈterɪtri/ /ˈterɪtri/ mistery /ˈmɪstəri/ /ˈmɪstəri/ battery /ˈbætri / /ˈbætri/ secretary /ˈsekrətəri/ /ˈsekrətri/ dormitory /ˈdɔːmɪtəri/ /ˈdɔːmɪtri/ lottery /ˈlɒtəri/ /ˈlɒtəri/ discovery /dɪˈskʌvəri/ /dɪˈskʌvri/ history /ˈhɪstri/ /ˈhɪstri/

3R Listen and repeat these sentences: 1. That’s one of the greatest discoveries in history. 2. Who won the lottery is a mistery. 3. The secretary has some spare batteries.

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f + / / + /r(ending:–ence) the �irst schwa is omitted 3S

Conference /ˈkɒnfərəns/ /ˈkɒnfrəns/ Transference /ˈtrænsfərəns/ /ˈtrænsfrəns/ Inference /ˈɪnfərəns/ /ˈɪnfrəns/ circumference /sɜːˈkʌmfərəns/ /sɜːˈkʌmfrəns/

Exceptions: preference, difference, reference

consonant + / / + /li/ (ending: -lly)

3T basically /ˈbeɪsɪkəli// ˈbeɪsɪkli/ carefully /ˈkeəfəli/ /ˈkeə�li/ accidentally/ˌæksɪˈdentli //ˌæksɪˈdentli/ especially /ɪˈspeʃəli/ /ɪˈspeʃli/ normally /ˈnɔːməli// ˈnɔːmli/ typically/ ˈtɪpɪkəli/ /ˈtɪpɪkli/

Other words containing internal elision:

3U Camera /ˈkæmrə/, family /ˈfæmli/, medicine / ˈmedsn/ , vegetable /ˈvedʒtəbl/, marvellous /ˈmɑːvləs/, interest / ˈɪntrəst/, restaurant /ˈrestrɒnt/, favourite / ˈfeɪvərɪt/.

Practice saying these sentences:

1. Let’s go to my favourite restaurant. 2. Hold the camera carefully. 3. She’s got a special interest in cooking vegetables. 4. They will attend a conference about medicine.

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As it was explained in Unit 1, when the phoneme /t/ is followed

by a bilabial, velar or dental sound, there is assimilation of /t/. However, if there is a consonant before the sound /t/, then speakers tend to omit this sound and, if it is the case, the previous sound may be assimilated as in it can’t be where there is no assimilation of /t/. Instead, the sound /t/ is omitted and the sound /n/ becomes /m/ and it is pronounced as instead of

Other examples:

3V He can’t go. /hi kɑːŋ ɡəʊ/ She couldn’t be here. /ʃi ˈkʊbm bi hɪə/ They won’t pass the exam. /ðeɪ wəʊm pɑːs ði ɪɡˈzæm/ Don’t go there. /dəʊŋ ɡəʊ ðeə/

Incomplete articulation

We may �ind the sound /t/ at the end of a word and a sound /t/ at

the beginning of the next word as in it’s eight to one . In this case, the �irst /t/ is only articulated, which means that we just place the tip of the tongue on the alveolar ridge, but we do not release the sound. This is known as incomplete articulation and occurs only if there is a vowel sound before the �irst /t/ as in Cut two pieces. Otherwise there would be elision of it as in I didn’t take the bus //.

This usually happens when there are two consecutive plosive sounds and when the �irst plosive is preceded by a vowel sound as in Have a good day həv ə ɡʊd deɪ/.

Special cases 3.7

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Other examples: 3W

A short time ago /ə ˈʃɔːt ˈtaɪm əˈɡəʊ/ A bit tired /ə ˈbɪt ˈtaɪəd/ A bright day /ə ˈbraɪt deɪ/ A �lat tyre /ə ˈ�læt ˈtaɪə/ It’s almost ten /ɪts ˈɔːməʊst ˈten/ Silent letters

There are cases in which there is a written /t/, /d/, /l/ or /h/ in a word, but they are not pronounced. In these cases, the sounds /t/, /d/, /l/ and /h/ are considered to be silent, not omitted. We talk about elision when omitting the sound is an option. If we pronounce last Monday slowly and carefully, the phoneme /t/ will be heard. However, no matter if we pronounce the word listen slowly or rapidly, the sound /t/ will not be pronounced. This also happens in the words castle, whistle, fasten, wrestle or nestle. There are some English names that contain the letter h and it is always silent in them. Some of these common British names are: Buckingham /ˈbʌkɪŋəm/, Durham / ˈdʌrəm/, Birmingham /ˈbɜːmɪŋəm/, Nottingham /ˈnɒtɪŋəm/, Tottenham /ˈtɒtəŋəm/, Thames /ˈtemz /.

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REFERENCES

Baker, A. (2006) Ship or Sheep? An Intermediate Pronunciation Course. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bradford, Barbara. 2005. Intonation in Context: intonation practice for upper intermediate and advanced learners of English. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.

Brazil, David (1994) Pronunciation for advanced learners of English. Cambridge University Press, New York.

Catfford , J.C. (2001) A practical Introduction to Phonetics. Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Gimson, A.C. , Cruttenden A. (2008) Gimson’s Pronunciation of English. Arnold. London

Hancock, Mark (2003) English Pronunciation in Use: Self-study and classroom use. Intermediate. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

Hewings, Martin (1993). Pronunciation tasks: a course for pre-intermediate learners. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

Hewings, Martin (2007) English Pronunciation in Use: Self-study and classroom use. Advanced. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

Marks, Jonathan (2007) English Pronunciation in Use: Self-study and classroom use. Elementary. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK

Roach, P. (1994) English Phonetics & Phonology (Text and AudioCD). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Wells, John Christopher (2006) English Intonation: an introduction. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

First edition in Puerto Montt, October, 2017Inscription n° 289778

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