(The word liaison is borrowed from French. It means a link or a connection.

In pronunciation, liaisons
are the connection between two words.) Unlike French where liaison is used consistently, liaison in
English is not a grammatical rule, but rather a feature of spoken English that occurs in certain
circumstances.

In American English, words are not pronounced one by one. Usually, the end of one word attaches to
the beginning of the next word.

One example of liaison in English is the pronunciation of a final /t/ or /d/ consonant in words such as
“flat” or “bad” when followed by a word starting with a vowel. For example, the phrase “don’t ask”
could be pronounced as “doh-nask” with a flap between the “n” and “a”.

In the word “Last year”, the “t” sound at the end of “last” and the “y” sound at the beginning of “year”
are next to each other. When native speakers speak quickly in connected speech, they may insert a
sound similar to “ch” to bridge the gap between the two sounds.

While liaison is common in English, especially in more casual or rapid speech, it doesn't happen
universally for all consonant-vowel combinations. It's often influenced by the sounds themselves and
the ease of transitioning from one sound to another.

For example:

"last year" (with a liaison)

"red apple" (without a liaison)

As with many aspects of pronunciation, there can be variations between speakers and regions. Liaison
is more common in some varieties of English and in more informal speech.

Overall, liaison in English is a natural feature of spoken English that helps to create a smoother and
more natural connection between words and syllables in continuous speech.