Aspects of Connected Speech

Professor Marcelo Andrade

Connected speech

When we talk we do not pronounce each individual sound of every word. Instead, we turn one sound into another, we combine some sounds, we eliminate others and we link many of them. By doing this, our speech sounds more natural and fluent. Notice that this occurs only in rapid speech, not when we pronounce the words slowly and/or carefully.


So, the aspects of connected speech are:

Assimilation

Coalescence

Elision

Linking


When you say, for example, the word

light bulb, you may realise that the

phoneme /t/ does not sound like /t/, but it

changes into a /p/ because of the

influence of the following consonant sound /b/. So it sounds /laip bVlb/.

This phenomenon is known as

Assimilation. There are 3 types of

assimilation: of place, voice and manner.


Now we’ll deal with each type of

assimilation in detail…


Assimilation of place

It refers to the change produced in the place of articulation of a consonant sound because of the characteristic of a neighbouring sound. In the previous example (light bulb) the sound /t/ which is alveolar changed into /p/ because of the influence of /b/ which is bilabial. Therefore, we say that it is assimilation of place.


Assimilation of place

The sounds that tend to change

because of the neighboring sounds are:

/t/, /d/ and /n/.

When the next word begins with a bilabial,

velar or dental they become bilabial,

velar or dental respectively.


So /t/ becomes

/p/ before bilabials (/p/, /b,/ or /m/)

that person /D{p p3:s@n/ light blue /laIp blu:/ /k/ before velars (/k/ or /g/).

art gallery /A:k g{l@rI /t/ eight kilos /eIk kIl@Uz/ before dentals (/T/ or /D/).

that thing /D{ TIN/


So /d/ becomes

/b/ before bilabials (/p/, /b,/ or /m/)

red book /reb bUk/ /g/ before velars (/k/ or /g/).

good girl /gUg g3:l/ before dentals (/T/ or /D/).

bad thing /b{ TIN/


And /n/ becomes

/m/ before bilabials (/p/, /b,/ or /m/)

ten men /tem men/ /N/ before velars (/k/ or /g/).

ten cars /teN kA:z/ before dentals (/T/ or /D/).

thirteen things /T3:ti: TINz/


Identify the cases of assimilation of place

Ten /m/ pounds

Seven /m/million

Television/m/ programme

broken /m/ mirror

Dead /b/ bird

Brown/m/ bag

Good/b/ pen

ten /N/ girls

bad /g/ cold


Write three sentences using the

phrases above. Include at least two

phrases in the same sentence.

Example: I won seven million in a

television programme.


Now identify the cases of assimilation of place

(AP), in these sentences:

I taught classes this morning.

The sun came up over the mountains.

I hate going to art galleries

They cheat quite a lot.

It was a bad question.

She is a good player and can win games easily.

I copied the text line by line.



(AP) in these sentences:

I taught /tO:k klA:sIz/ classes this morning.

The sun came up over the mountains.








(AP), assimilation of voice (AV) in these

sentences:


The sun /sVN keIm/ came up over the mountains.









sentences:



I hate /heIk g@UIN/ going to art /A:k g{l@rIz/ galleries








sentences:




They cheat /tSi:k kwaIt/ quite a lot.







sentences:





It was a bad /b{g kwestS@n/ question.






sentences:






She is a good /gUb pleI@/ player and can win /wIN geImz/ games easily.





sentences:






She is a good /gUb pleI@/ player and can win /wIN geImz/ games easily.

I copied /kOpId D@/the text line /laIm baI/ by line.


Assimilation of voice

It refers to the change produced when a voiced sound becomes voiceless.

For instance, the form “have to” /h{v t@/ is usually pronounced /h{ft@/. So you can see that the phoneme /v/ changed into the voiceless sound /f/.


Assimilation of voice

Other cases of assimilation of voice are:

Supposed to /s@p@Uzd t@/ /s@p@Ust@/ Has to /h{z tU/ /h{st@/ Have to /h{v tU/ /h{ft@

Used to /ju:zd t@/ /ju:st@/


Assimilation of manner

This type of assimilation is not very

common, and it usually happens when a

plosive becomes a fricative or nasal,

e.g.

That side /D{s saId/ Good night /gUn naIt/


References

Gimson’s Pronunciation of English. (2001) Arnold. London

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

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

Finch, D.& Ortiz H. (1982) A course in English Phonetics for Spanish Speakers. Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. London


Documents

Aspects of Connected Speech