El sistema fonolgico del

ingls
Sounds in connected speech
Esther Garca Pez y Salvador
Hernndez Pulido

Sounds in connected
speech

Sounds in connected speech

The processes of assimilation, elision and
linking in connected speech alter the
sound of words and make them differ
from the ideal shape they have when
pronounced in isolation.

In English and in many other languages, words are

written as units, separated from each other by a space.
Influenced by this convention of written language most
people assume that there are equivalent boundaries in
spoken language.
This is not the case. In fact, quite the opposite occurs,
instead of boundaries we find mergers and sound
insertions creating a link between a word and its
neighbors. The result of such transitions in this
widespread feeling among foreign learners that native
speakers of any language speak too fast!

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.
e.g. a car v. I bought a car
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
fatherbestfriend

 Lets look at the phrase transcribed:

/aI went t@ D@ steIS@n @n bUkt @ ru:m f@ tu:
naIts f@ maI fA:D@ @n hIz best 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

Strongform

Weakform

Prepositions

to

tu:

t@

for

fO:(r)

f@(r)

from

frQm

fr@m

into

Intu:

Int@

of

Qv

@*(v)

as

{z

@z

at

{t

@t

Auxiliary verbs

Strongform

Weakform

do

du:

are

A:

@(r)*

was

wQz

w@z

were

w3:

w@(r)

would

wUd

w@d

could

kUd

k@d

should

SUd

S@d

can

k{n

k@n

must

mVst

m@s(t)

Others
and
but
than
that(asarelative)
you(asobjectpronoun)

Strongform

Weakform

{nd
bVt
D{n
D{t
ju:

@nd, @n, n
b@t
D@n
D@t
j@

your
her(asobjectpronoun)

jU@, jO:
h3:(r)

j@(r)
(h)@(r)*

a
an
the

{, eI
@n
Di:

@*
@n
D@, Di(beforea
vowel)

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)

Look at these transcriptions:

1. a went t pst fs t ba sm stmps.
2. i helpt mi: t kli:n p mes t tldrn hd
med.
3. wen d j k t k: wl bi: redi?
4. i: kd spi:k wen i: wz nli et mns ld.
5. i: dr v frm lndn t mntest n rek:d tam.

Awareness of assimilation
The most frequent use of assimilation is
the reduction of certain set phrases and
questions, especially in American English.
A good example is the use of wanna for
want to

Awareness of elision
Elision mostly affects the English sounds /h/, /t/, /d/, and,
schwa, so the number of changes that need to be learnt
is limited.
It may be a good idea to get students interested in sound
deletions by using examples where deletions make life
easier.
For example, in the phrase the first thing the final t of
first is hard to articulate before the th so it is omitted.

Awareness of linking
Linking applies to what happens at word-boundaries where either
two vowels or a consonant and a vowel meet.
The second type of linking consonant followed by vowel is the
most frequent and the most important for Mexican learners,
especially those who then not to pronounce the final consonant.
This CV linking, sometimes called catenation causes the
restructuring of syllables so that final clusters become initial, for
example watch out becomes wa + chout.
I have noted that when this is explained to Mexican students it is
quite a revelation!