Connected speech 247

In the case of /t/, this is also the context where glottal replacement or glottal reinforcement
(see Sections 2.7.2 and 2.7.3) can take place. In which case, instead of assimilation taking
place, [t] could be replaced by [ʔ], or assimilation could take place with the resulting voice-
less plosive being accompanied by glottal reinforcement.
The alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ also frequently undergo assimilation. When they are fol-
lowed by palato-alveolar /ʃ/, their place of articulation changes to palato-alveolar:

• /s/ (voiceless alveolar fricative) → /ʃ/ (voiceless palato-alveolar fricative) before /ʃ/
(palato-alveolar):
this shop /ˈðɪʃ ˈʃɑp/ nice shoes /ˈnaɪʃ ˈʃuz/
a famous ship /ə ˈfeɪməʃ ˈʃɪp/ a close shave /ə ˈkloʊʃ ˈʃeɪv/
• /z/ (voiced alveolar fricative) → /ʒ/ (voiced palato-alveolar fricative) before /ʃ/
(palato-alveolar):
is she /ˈɪʒ ʃi/ his shirt /hɪʒ ˈʃərt/
Lee’s short /ˈliʒ ˈʃort/ because she /bɪˈkəʒ ʃi/

When /ən/ follows the velar plosives /k ɡ/ or the bilabial plosives /p b/, the plosives can be
released nasally (see Section 2.9) and the tongue remain in position, resulting in a homor-
ganic syllabic nasal (i.e., [m̩] after /p b/ or /ŋ̍/ after /k ɡ/).

/ən/ → /m̩ / happen /ˈhæpm̩ / ribbon /ˈrɪbm̩ /

/ən/ → /ŋ̍ / taken /ˈteɪkŋ̍ / pagan /ˈpeɪɡŋ̍ /

The more frequent a word is, the more likely this assimilation is to occur, but the variant with
/ən/ is still more usual, and it’s this form that learners are advised to use. This is an example
of perseverative assimilation.

12.3.2  Coalescent assimilation

The assimilations we have looked at so far involve a phoneme changing into another pho-
neme under the influence of a following phoneme. In the case of coalescent assimilation, two
phonemes influence each other and combine to form a third phoneme: /t/ and /d/ combine
with /j/ to form /ʧ/ and /ʤ/. In such cases, we transcribe the two words as one. This process
is most common and most complete when it involves you or your and is frequently heard in
could you, couldn’t you, did you, didn’t you, and so on.

/t/ + /j/ → /ʧ/ I know what you said. /aɪ ˈnoʊ wəʧu ˈsed/
I’ve bought you a present. /aɪv ˈbɑʧu ə ˈprɛzn̩ t/
Can’t you wait? /ˈkænʧu ˈweɪt/
Why don’t you go? /ˈwaɪ ˈdoʊnʧu ˈɡoʊ/
He said that you did. /hi ˈsɛd ðəʧu ˈdɪd/
Get your key. /ˈɡɛʧər ˈki/
Couldn’t you try? /ˈkʊdn̩ ʧu ˈtraɪ/

/d/ + /j/ → /ʤ/ Did you see it? /dɪʤu ˈsi ɪt/
Could you wait? /kʊʤu ˈweɪt/
They made you do it? /ðeɪ ˈmeɪʤu ˈdu ɪt/