CONNECTED SPEECH : RHYTHM AND

ASSIMILATION
Lecturer: Dr. Toyyibah,S.S. M.Pd

Arranged by: 

Nazila Nur Nila Qurnia (932218819) 

Nita Miftahul Fuadah  (932219219)

 Virdha Fitriana Dhewi (932219319)

 
 
 
 RHYTHM
theory that English has stress-timed rhythm
implies that stressed syllables will tend to occur at
relatively regular intervals whether they are
separated by unstressed syllables or not.

In this sentence, the stressed syllables are given numbers: syllables 1 and 2
are not separated by any unstressed syllables, 2 and 3 are separated by one
unstressed syllable, 3 and 4 by two and 4 and 5 by three.
To understand how this could be done, let’s start with a simple example

the word ‘twenty’ has one strong and one

weak syllable, forming one foot

. A digram of its rhythmical structure can be made, where S stands for “strong” and W
stands for “weak”.
Now consider the phrase ‘twenty places’, where ‘places’ will normally carry stronger
stress than ‘twenty’
By analyzing speech in this way we are able to show the relationships between strong and
weak elements, and the different levels of stress that we find.

The above patern may be correct for

very slow speech, but we must now look
at what happens to the rhythm in norml
speech: many English speakers would
feel that, although in ‘twenty places’ the
right-hand foot is the stronger, the word
‘twenty’ is stronger than ‘places’ in
‘twenty places further back’ when
spoken in conversational style.
What, then, is the practical value of the traditional “rhythm exercice” for foreign learners?

it can be helpful to practice repeating strongly rhythmical utterances since

this forces the speaker to concentrate on making unstressed syllables weak.
Speakers of languages like Japanese, Hungarian and Spanish, which do not
have weak syllables to anything like the same extent as English does, may well
find such exercises of some value (as long as they are not overdone to the
point where learners feel they have to speak English as though, they were
reciting verse).
 ASSIMILATION
Assimilation is a common phonological process by which the sound of the ending of one word blends
into the sound of the beginning of the following word.

Assimilation means that sounds belonging

to one word can cause changes in sounds
belonging to neighboring words.

Place of assimilation in English involves alveolar

stops which change their place of articulation to
bilabial or velar depending on the surrounding
sound, or alveolar fricatives which may change
their place of articulation to post-alveolar when
followed by a post-alveolar or palatal consonant.
We will study three different types of place assimilation in English, which classified according to the
type of sounds, which undergo the process:

alveolar stops

alveolar fricatives

alveolar syllabic
nasals.
 Occasionally two sounds may influence one another in reciprocal assimilation. When such a change
results in a single segment with some of the features of both components, it is known as coalescence or
fusion.

Assimilation patterns manifest three sub- types:

1. Phonetic, free variation or contextual assimilation. The change affects a certain

segment by selecting a certain variant of that segment.
For example:
/m/ in triumph and nymph is rendered [ɱ], (labiodental nasal) instead of bilabial
[m].
Similarly, infant /n/ is often rendered as [ɱ].
/l/ is devoiced after /f/ and /k/ in flight and clean and lips are rounded in the
articulation of /p/, /k/, and /l/ in pool, cool, loom, respectively due to the
occurrence of rounded vowel /u:/ immediately after these consonant segments.
 
 2. Phonemic assimilation is often referred to as "neutralization'' or ''syncretism''. This is more

systematized, i.e., not subject to free variation. It also results in the neutralization of two phonemes .

For example:
/n/ and /ƞ/ are neutralized in think /Ɵiƞk/, /v/
and /f/ in have to / haft tu/ , /z/ and /s/
innewspaper /'nju:speipə/, and so on. Dirven
(2004:119) states that some assimilationssuch as in
newspaper are obligatory within word boundaries,
however, they areoptional, and tend to be more
frequent in the informal and relaxed the speaking
style.
3. Morphological or morphophonemic assimilation is one which affects a whole morpheme. It usually
decides the morpheme variant (allomorph) according to morphophonemic rule.

For example:
The distribution of - s suffix (plural, 3rd person singular,
possessive, contracted forms is and has) show three
allomorphs:
/- s / after voiceless consonants: stops, roots, Philip's, it's .
/- z/ after voiced segments :goes, boys, Tom's, he's.
/- iz/ after sibilant consonants: reaches, bridges, James's,
George's.
. It is not merely coincidence that is responsible for the allomorphs of the plural morpheme and the third
person plural being [-z -s -iz]. The suffix agrees in voicing with the preceding sound.

The distribution of – ed suffix ( past and past

participle) shows three allomorphs:
/- d/ voiced segments: killed, named.
/- t/ after voiceless consonants: looked,
stopped, reached.
/- id/ after /t/ and /d/: wanted, added.

The distribution of the prefix shows the following

allomorphs:
/ il-/ before /l/: illegal , illegitimate.
/ir-/ before /r/: irregular.
/im/ before labial: immoral , impersonal, immortal.

From the point of view of the distribution of change, assimilation can be

progressive or regressive. When the change involves the following sound, it is
called "regressive assimilation" and when it involves a preceding sound, it is
called "progressive assimilation".
 Another way you can look in some rules for assimilation:

The phonemes /t/, /d/, and /n/ often become bilabial before bilabial consonants /p/, /b/, and /m/.
He’s a rather fatboy

/t/ assimilates to /k/ before /k/ or /g/ ; /d/ assimilates to /g/ before /k/ or /g/
She’s a very goodgirl

/ƞ/ can assimilate to / / before /k/ or /g/

He’s bringing his own car

/s/ can assimilate to / / before / /

I really love thisshiny one over here.

/t/ can assimilate to / / before / /

We found this lovely little cheese shop in Paris.

/t/ and /j/ combine to form /t /

You went to French lastyear, didn’t you.

/d/ and /j/ combine to form /d /

Would you like a cup of tea?
In summary rhythm is the sense of movement in speech, marked by the stress, timing, and quantity of
syllables. And rythm involves some noticeable event happening at regular intervals of time.

In speaking English we vary in how rhythmically we speak: sometimes we speak very

rhythmically (this is typical of some styles of public speaking) while at other times we
speak.

Arhythmically (that is, without rhythm)- for example, when we are hesistant or
nervous. Stress-timed rhythm is thus perhaps characteristic of one stle of speaking,
not of English speech as a whole;

Assimilation is a common phonological

process by which the sound of the
ending of one word blends into the
sound of the beginning of the following
word. And is the process by which two
(or more) sounds become more similar
to each other.
 SOURCES
Iman Mingher Obied, Phonological Rules, University of Babylon,
College of Basic Education, English Department.
basic.iman.mingher@uobabylon.edu.iq
 
Nadiah Nur Lathifah, English Phonological Assimilation Applied in
“English with Lucy” Channel on YouTube, Malang: 2018
 
Judit Carnero Olmedo, The Assimilation of Features of Connected Speech in
ESL Students. FACULTAD de FILOSOFÍA Y LETRAS DEPARTAMENTO de
FILOLOGÍA INGLESA Grado en Estudios Ingleses: 2015
 
Jamilah, Other Aspects of Connected Speech. UNY: 2016
 
Roach Peter, English Phonetics and Phonology A practical course second
edition, Cambridge Universiti Press, United Kingdom: 1991