CONNECTED SPEECH

IPA symbols represent the correct pronunciation of single or segments of speech. However, we use single words or segments in isolation only occasionally. E.g., we can say “ah!” /ɑː/ to express surprise, or “sh!” /ʃ/ if we want to tell somebody to be quiet.

Most commonly we use segments of speech or single words in a sequence, to form phrases or sentences. The sound “ah!” /ɑː/, for example, is likely to be found in whole sentences, to express:

- surprise (“Ah, there you are!”) - pleasure (“Ah, this coffee is good.”) - admiration or sympathy (“Ah well, better luck next time.”) - when you disagree with somebody (“Ah, but that may not be true.”)

In fact, we commonly use language in continuous, connected speech. Connected speech means speech produced without pauses. A consequence of connected speech is that single segments of speech are influenced by neighbouring segments (that is to say, speech sounds that come before and after them), and may slightly change their place or manner of articulation, or may sometimes totally disappear. Therefore the pronunciation of an isolated may be different from the pronunciation of the same word in connected speech. These changes fall into two main types: and .

ASSIMILATION

In assimilation, one sound becomes phonetically similar to an adjacent sound. For example, the two words this and shop in isolation are pronounced

- this /ðɪs/ - shop /ʃɒp/.

In rapid speech, when the two words are pronounced together, the sound /s/ in this is influenced by the following initial sound and changes to /ʃ/. What we actually hear is:

- this shop /ðɪʃʃɒp/.

In other words, the sound /s/ in this is assimilated to the following sound /ʃ/. The sound /s/ phonetically is a voiceless alveolar fricative, whereas /ʃ/ is a voiceless post-alveolar fricative. In this shop /ðɪʃʃɒp/, therefore, assimilation produces a change in the place of articulation of the preceding sound, from alveolar to post-alveolar: /s/ to /ʃ/.

Consider now another example of assimilation. If the word ‘have’ occurs in final position, its final consonant /v/ will usually be voiced; but when that /v/ is followed by a voiceless consonant, it too becomes voiceless. E.g.:

- Yes, I have. / jes aɪ hæv / - I have to… / aɪ hæf tu / (e.g. I Have to go now)

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The sound /t/ influences the preceding sound /v/. But in this case the influence is not in the place of articulation, as it was in this shop. In fact, when /v/ in have becomes /f/, it does not change its own place of articulation (labiodental); what changes is the voicing: /v/ is voiced, /f/ is voiceless. The sound /t/ assimilates the preceding sound /v/ to its voiceless quality.

Another case of assimilation involves a change from a ‘stronger’ consonant to a ‘weaker’ one. An example may be the rapid pronunciation of the sentence “Get some of that soap”. A word-by-word pronunciation would give:

- Get some of that soap /get sʌm əv ðæt səʊp/

In rapid speech assimilation takes place:

- Get some of that soap /ges‿sʌm ə ðæs‿səʊp/

The initial /s/ sounds of some and soap influence the final /t/ sounds of the previous words, and assimilate them to their own quality. In fact, while /t/ is a plosive sound, in rapid speech it becomes a fricative sound like the following /s/. We have a change in the manner of articulation, from plosive to fricative, from /t/ to /s/.

The examples given above show three types of assimilation:

1) Assimilation of voice. A voiced segment may become voiceless when being adjacent to another voiceless segment:

I have to… / aɪ hæf tu /

We also have the opposite case: a voiceless segment becoming voiced because of the influence of an adjacent segment. An example is the -s suffix for the plural of nouns. While in words like parts, groups, cakes, the sound /s/ is voiceless because the previous sounds /t/, /p/, /k/ are voiceless, when the preceding consonant is voiced the /s/ too is voiced and becomes /z/:

dogs / dɒɡz / loves / lʌvz / slabs / slæbz / slides / slaɪdz /

Similarly, when the previous sound is a vowel, since vowels are always voiced, the plural suffix -s is also voiced as /z/:

bars / bɑːz/ boys / bɔɪz / doors / dɔːz / matches / mætʃiz /

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This is true also for the 3rd person singular of the present tense of verbs:

she writes /raɪts/ she rides /raɪdz/ she goes /goʊz/

2) Assimilation of place. It refers to a change in the place of articulation of a segment, usually a consonant. We have already seen the example:

this shop /ðɪʃʃɒp/

This type of assimilation is common in English with word-final alveolar consonants such as /t/, /d/, /n/. If the following word starts with a consonant that has a different place of articulation, in rapid speech the final /t/, /d/, /n/ are likely to change and take on the same place of articulation of the following initial sound. E.g.:

that boy / θæt bɔɪ / in rapid speech: / θæp‿bɔɪ / that girl / θæt ɡɜːl / in rapid speech: / θæk‿ɡɜːl /

The final sound /t/, an alveolar consonant, takes on the same place of articulation of the following sounds. In the first example, it becomes a bilabial, like the following initial /b/; in the second example, it becomes a velar, like the following initial /g/.

3) Assimilation of manner. One sound changes the manner of its articulation to become similar in manner to a neighbouring sound. We have already seen the example:

Get some of that soap /ges‿sʌm ə ðæs‿səʊp/

In rapid speech, the fricative manner of the initial /s/ in some and soap is transferred to the previous /t/ sounds, which also become fricatives.

ELISION

The term elision (/ɪˈlɪʒn/; in Italian, “elisione”) refers to the disappearence of one or more sounds in connected speech. The missing sounds are said to have been ‘elided’ (/iˈlaɪdɪd/; in Italian, “elìsi”). E.g., the sentence

- She looked particularly interesting in slow, careful speech would be pronounced word by word:

- /ʃi: lʊkt pəˈtɪkjələli ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/;

In rapid conversational speech, however, the sentence may sound like this:

- /ʃilʊkpəˈtɪkliˈɪntrstɪŋ/.

The /t/ sound in looked, the two /jələ/ in particularly, the schwa vowel /ə/ in interesting have all been elided in rapid speech.

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Elision of vowels usually happens in rapid speech when a vowel occurs between some consonants, as in the following words:

- perhaps /pˈhæps/ (vowel between two voiceless consonants elided in the first ) - potato /pˈteɪtəʊ/ (vowel between two voiceless consonants elided in the first syllable) - bicycle /ˈbaɪskl/ (vowel between two voiceless consonants elided in the second syllable) - philosophy /fəˈlɒsfi/ (vowel between two voiceless consonants elided in the third syllable)

Elision of consonants happens most commonly when a speaker ‘simplifies’ a complex sequence of consonants. E.g.:

- acts /ækts/ /æks/ (/t/ sound elided in rapid speech) - Twelfth Night /twelfθ naɪt/ /twelθ naɪt/ or /twelf naɪt/ (/f/ or /θ/ sound often elided in rapid speech)

One final example, that joins elision and assimilation. Let’s look at the following sentence, first in a word-by-word pronunciation, then in rapid speech:

- There is much to say about that - /ðɛɘrɪz mʌʧ tuː seɪ əˈbaʊt ðæt/ - / ðɘzˈmʌʧtɘˈseɪɘˈbaʊððæt/

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