UNIT 8.

CONNECTED SPEECH

UNIT OUTLINE
A. CONNECTED SPEECH
1. Assimilation
2. Elision
3. Linking
B. INTONATION
1. Definition
2. Functions
3. Some common intonation patterns

CONNECTED SPEECH
1. Assimilation
a. Definition
Assimilation:
+ two different neighboring sounds
+ change to be similar
+ to ease the pronunciation
+ not affect the meaning of the unit
+ usually affects consonant clusters
b. Position of occurrence
 Across word boundaries (between two words)
Ex: That pen [ðæt pen => ðæppen]
 Within a word
+ Across morpheme boundaries (between two morphemes)
Ex: Dogs /dɒgz/
+ Within a morpheme.
Ex: Bank /bæŋk/
c. Classification
 Basing on the direction of the assimilation
+ Regressive assimilation: the preceding sound changes to be similar to the following
one. Ex: That side [ðæt saɪd => ðæssaɪd]
+ Progressive assimilation: the following sound changes to be alike to the preceding
Ex: Hit you [hɪtju: => hɪʧju:]

 Basing on what is changed

+ Assimilation of manner: 2 sounds of different manners of articulation will change to
have the same manner of articulation.
Ex 1: That side [ðæt saɪd => ðæssaɪd] (stop => fricative)
Ex 2: Good night [gʊdnaɪt => gʊnnaɪt] (stop => nasal)

+ Assimilation of voice (voiceless => voiced or vice versa)

Ex: Newspaper [nju:z peɪpə => nju:speɪpə] (voiced => voiceless)
Have to [hæv tu => hæftu]
Birth /bɜ:θ/ => Birthday [bɜ:ðdeɪ]
 + Assimilation of place of articulation: 2 words of different points of articulation will
change to have the same point of articulation. This assimilation affects most final
alveolars / t, d, n, s, z /.

p: that pen [ðæt pen => ðæppen] (alveolar => bilabial: labialized)
t
k: that case [ðæt keɪz => ðækkeɪz] (alveolar => velar: velarized)

b : good boy [gʊd bɔɪ => gʊbbɔɪ] (labialized)

d
g : bad cold [bæd kəʊld => bægkəʊld] (velarized)

m: green pine [gri:n paɪn => gri:mpaɪn] (labialized)

n
ŋ : one cup [wʌn kʌp => wʌŋkʌp (velarized)

s => ʃ before / j & ʃ / Ex: this year [ðɪs jɪə => ðɪʃjɪə];
this shoe [ðɪs ʃu: => ðɪʃʃu:]
z => ʒ before / j & ʃ / Ex: those years [ðəʊz jɪəz => ðəʊʒjɪəz]
those shops [ðəʊz ʃɒps => ðəʊʒʃɒps]

2. Elision: Deletion of sound(s) in rapid, casual speech.

 Deletion of weak vowels after initial / p, t, k /, before a stressed one.
Ex: Potato [ph′teɪtəʊ]; Tomato [th′ma:təʊ]; Perhaps [ph′hæps]; Today [th′deɪ]
 In complex consonant clusters.
Ex: George the Sixth’s throne /ʤɔ:ʤ ðə sɪksθsθrəʊn/ => /… sɪksθrəʊn.../
 Loss of final / v,d / in ‘of, and’ before consonants.
Ex: Lots of them /lɒts əv ðəm => lɒts ə ðəm / ;
Waste of money /weɪst əv mʌni => weɪst ə mʌni /
Come and see /kʌm ənd si: => kʌm ən si: /
3. Linking. In real connected speech, words are sometimes linked together.
a. Linking: Consonant + vowel. Ex: A cup␣of coffee; Her␣eyes.
b. Intrusive: a sound inserted between two vowels to link them
+ Intrusive j: -i + vowel. Ex: Very interesting /veri j ɪntrəstɪŋ/

+ Intrusive w: -u + vowel. Ex: Go into / gəʊ w ıntu/