ENGLISH PHONETICS

AND PHONOLOGY
SEGMENTAL FEATURES
OF SPEECH
INTRODUCTION
The various sounds identified in the
previous sessions do not exist in isolation.
These sounds are stringed together to
form words and words are put together in
connected speech.
The segmental features of speech most
dominant in English
- assimilation
- elision
- linking
ASSIMILATION
It is a regular process in spoken or connected
speech in which a particular sound or phoneme
changes to become more like an adjacent
sound.
There are two types of assimilation:
- progressive assimilation- the sound changes to
match a preceding phoneme or sound that
comes before it.
- regressive assimilation- the sound changes to
match a following phoneme

Place Assimilation- Bilabialisation of Alveolar Sounds
- In PA-phoneme changes to match the place of
articulation of a previous/following sound.
- In spoken English, the alveolar stop [t] changes to [p] in
the following utterances
-`]4 OC wpO
O+
-OE]g]4 OE]E wOOg]O
OC)+
-_]C4 pEEg w_]O
p4g+
-- - The change of [t] to a [p] is an instance of
place assimilation in which the alveolar stop sound
becomes a bilabial stop that follows or a regressive
assimilation
- A similar process of regressive PA- changes of the [d] to
a [b] sound before [m], [b] or [p] in bad pain, bood
bank, good morning-[d] assimilates into [p]
- How about- iron man, question mark, action plan, green
pot, brown bag and fan belt

PA- Velarisation of Alveolar Sounds
- The alveolar stop [t] changing to a velar stop [k]
to match a velar sound such as [k] or [g]
following it.
- Credit card, smart card, great cook, let go
- The change is an instance of PA in which the
alveolar stop sound becomes a velar stop in
anticipation of a velar sound that follows-
example of regressive assimilation
- Another example is the change of [d] to [g]
sound before [k] and [g]
- Check out these words good cook, ground
control, hard copy, red guitar,
- How about these words human capital,golden
gate, tin can, town clerk.

PA- Palatalisation of Alveolar Sounds
- In connected speech, the sound fricatives [s]
and [z] is palatalised as [e+ C- wL+
before the palatal sounds [e+ C-
w+
-`4 ]4] wpCe
e4C+
--] EO w-e
eOO+
-4) E]C w)L
)]+
- The alveolar fricative [s] precedes palatal
fricative [e] or a palatal approximant [j].
- The change of [s] to a [e+ is an instance of
PA in which the alveolar fricative sound becomes
more like a palatal fricative in anticipation of the
palatal sound that follows- eg of RA
- Check out these words: cheese shop, these
sheep, wise young man


Voicing Assimilation
- A phoneme changes to match the
phonation of a previous or following
sound.
- Can be observed in the pronunciation of a
plural morpheme and the past tense
morpheme- sometimes referred to as
morphophonemic rule.
- You deduce the rule from these examples
Cats, dogs, bees, washed, missed, sipped,
pulled, robbed, lived
Ellision
- In connected speech, it is common for sound
segments to be deleted or omitted.
- It can occur within the word or across word
boundary.
- This segmental feature of speech is commonly
observable in words unstressed syllables which
are omitted in rapid speech.
- Camera [kmrC] medicine [mdsin] memory,
cup of coffee, pen and paper
- In some cased non ellision of a phoneme might
sound odd and is indicative of a non proficient
speaker, eg chocolate, vegetable
Linking
- In rapid speech, sound segments of a
word are seldom discrete or clearly
separated from the sound of other words.
- They become linked or connected.
- In English, the linking [r] is prominent
especially before a vowel.
- Four apes [fO:reips]
- Formula A, media event
- In each instance the [r] sound is inserted
between the juncture of two words.