Connected

Speech Dr. Hanan Taqi

What is connected speech?

When we speak naturally we do not

pronounce a word, stop, then say the next

word in the sentence.

Fluent speech flows with a rhythm and the

words bump into each other.

To make speech flow smoothly the way we

pronounce the end and beginning of some

words can change depending on the sounds

at the beginning and end of those words.

Dr. H. Taqi

Aspects of Connected

Speech

1. Weak forms

2. Assimilation

3. Elision

4. Coalesence

Dr. H. Taqi

Weak forms 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.

Weak forms are usually distinguished by a change in vowel quality from a border position on the vowel quadrilateral to a central position.

The vowel in a weak form is usually the schwa (ə).

Weak forms are pronounced more quickly and at lower volume in comparison to the stressed syllables.

Some of the most common examples of weak forms are: Auxiliary verbs, Prepositions and a few other words.

Dr. H. Taqi

a car /eɪ kɑ:/

I bought a car /aɪ bɔ:t ə kɑ:/

Assimilation 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, /ˈteŋ ˈkɑ:z/ so that the organs of speech are ready to produce the following velar sound /k/.

Similarly, in ten boys the /n/ will be produced in a bilabial position, /ˈtem ˈbɔɪz/ to prepare for the articulation of the bilabial /b/.

Dr. H. Taqi

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

(CONS – t/d – CONS)

Dr. H. Taqi

The next day…. /ðə ˈneks ˈdeɪ/

The last car… /ðə ˈlɑ:s ˈkɑ:/

Hold the dog! /həʊl ðə ˈdɒg/

Send Frank a card. /sen ˈfræŋk ə ˈkɑ:d/

Elision (2)

This can also take place within affricates

/t/ and /d/ when preceded by a

consonant, e.g.

Dr. H. Taqi

lunchtime /ˈlʌntʃtaɪm/ become

/ˈlʌnʃtaɪm/

Strange days /ˈstreɪndʒˈdeɪz/ /ˈstreɪnʒˈdeɪz/

Elision 3 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.

Note that when can’t is followed by a vowel, e.g. ‘I can’t eat’, the /t/ is not elided.

Can something similar happen to didn’t?

Dr. H. Taqi

I can speak…. /aɪ kən ˈspi:k/

I can’t speak… /aɪ ˈkɑ:n(t) ˈspi:k/

Elision 4

A second form involves the omission of the schwa /ə/ before liquids /l/ and /r/

Dr. H. Taqi

secretary /ˈsekrət(ə)ri/

camera /ˈkæm(ə)rə/

memory /ˈmem(ə)ri/

Coalesence

a form of assimilation, a phenomenon

which takes place when /j/ is preceded

by certain consonants most commonly /t/

and /d/

Dr. H. Taqi

/d/ + /j/ = / dʒ/

Could you help me? /kʊdʒu help mi:/

Would yours work? /wʊdʒɔ:z wɜ:k/

/t/ + /j/ = /tʃ/

What you need. /wɒtʃu ni:d/

The ball that you brought. /ðə bɔ:l ðətʃu: brɔ:t/

Last year /lɑ:stʃɪə/

Coalescence

This phenomenon also takes place when

/r/ is preceded by the consonants /t/ and

/d/ usually found in words such as tree /ʧri:/, and dry /draɪ/.

Dr. H. Taqi

Exercise: Practice with the following examples in informal colloquial

style: 1. How do you do! 2. Right you are!

3. I don't know why. 4. What did he do? 5. I'm glad. 6. I should think so. 7. How are you folks?

8. Do you want one? 9. They haven't been. 10. I didn't want to.

Dr. H. Taqi