Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Aspects of connected
speech
14.1 Rhythm
14.2 Assimilation
14.3 Elision
14.4 Linking
14.1 Rhythm
 Rhythm involves some noticeable event happening at regular intervals
of time.
 Examples: rhythm of the heartbeat, the ticking clock, etc.
 English speech is said to be rhythmical, and that the rhythm is
detectable in the regular occurrence of stressed syllable.
 English has stress-timed rhythm, which means that the times from each
stressed syllable to the next one will tend to be the same, irrespective
of the number of intervening unstressed syllable.
14.1 Rhythm
 Example:
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.
14.1 Rhythm
 The unit of rhythm is the foot.
 The foot begins with a stressed syllable and includes all
following unstressed syllables up to (but not including) the
following stressed syllable.
 This sentence is divided into 5 feet, and all the feet are
supposed to be of roughly the same duration.
14.1 Rhythm
 In a stress-timed language, the stressed syllable in a certain word
can move or change depending on how the word is used in a
sentence, or what other stressed syllables may be near it.
compact kəmˈpækt but compact disk
ˈkɒmpækt ˈdɪsk
thirteen ˌθɜːˈtiːn but thirteen place
ˈθɜːtiːn ˈpleɪs
Wesminter westˈmɪnstə but Wesminter Abbey
ˈwestmɪnstə ˈæbi
14.2 ASSIMILATION
 A phoneme is pronounced differently as a result of being near
some other phonemes belonging to a neighboring word.
 Example:
white paper /waɪt ˈpeɪpə/  /waɪp ˈpeɪpə/
bright color /braɪt ˈkʌlə/  /braɪk ˈkʌlə/
 Assimilation is more likely to be found in rapid, casual speech
and less likely in careful and slow speech.
14.2 ASSIMILATION
 A possible diagram
 If Cf changes to become like Ci in some way, then the assimilation is called
regressive (the phoneme that comes first is affected by the one that comes after
it).
 If Ci changes to become like Cf in some way, then the assimilation is called
progressive.
 Coalescent assimilation: of /t, d, s, z/ with /j/
14.2 REASONS FOR CHANGES
 Differences in place of articulation
 Differences in manner of articulation
 Differences in voicing
14.2 Assimilation of place of articulation
 When Cf is alveolar, Ci is not.

 Examples:
+ In rapid, casual speech the t will become p before a bilabial
consonant.
‘that person’ ðæp ˈpɜːsn ‘that man’ ðæp mæn
+ Before a dental consonant, t will change to a dental plosive t̪
‘that thing’ ðæt̪ θɪŋ ‘get those’ ɡet̪ ðəʊz
+ Before a velar consonant, the t will become k.
‘that case’ ðæk keɪs ‘bright colour’ braɪk ˈkʌlə
‘quite good’ kwaɪk ɡʊd
+ In similar context, d would become b, d̪, and g respectively.
‘good boy’ ɡʊb bɔɪ ‘bad thing’ bæd̪ θɪŋ
‘card game’ kɑːg ɡeɪm

+ n would become m, n̪, ŋ
‘green paper’ ɡriːm ˈpeɪpə ‘fine thought’ faɪn̪
θɔːt
‘ten girls’ teŋ ɡɜːlz
+ s becomes ʃ when followed by ʃ
‘this shoe’ ðɪʃ ʃuː
+ z becomes Ʒ when followed by j
‘those years’ ðəʊƷ jɪəz

14.2 Assimilation of manner of articulation
- This is only found in the most rapid and casual speech.

- The tendency is for regressive assimilation.
- The change in manner is most likely to be towards an
“easier” consonant.
- For example: a final plosive becomes a fricative or nasal but
not vice-versa.
‘that side’ ðæs saɪd ‘good night’ ɡʊn naɪt

14.2 Assimilation of manner of articulation
- Progressive assimilation of manner: when a word-initial ð
follows a plosive or nasal at the end of a preceding word, it
is very common to find that the Ci becomes identical in
manner to the Cf but with dental place of articulation.

‘in the’ ɪn ðə  ɪn̪n̪ə
‘get them’ ɡet ðəm  ɡe̪tt̪əm
‘read these’ riːd ðiːz  riːd̪d̪iːz

14.2 Assimilation of voice
- Only regressive assimilation of voice is found across word boundaries.
- If Cf is a lenis (voiced) consonant and C i is fortis (voiceless), we often find
that the lenis consonant has no voicing.
‘I have to’ aɪ hæv tu  aɪ hæf tu
‘chessecake’ ˈtʃiːzkeɪk  ˈtʃiːskeɪk

- Progressive assimilation of voice across morpheme boundaries.
+ When a verb carries a third person singular ‘-s’ suffix, or a noun
carries an ‘-s’ plural suffix or an ‘-’s’ possessive suffix, that suffix will
be pronounced as s if the preceding consonant is fortis (voiceless) and as
z if the preceding consonant is lenis (voiced).

14.2 Assimilation of voice
‘cats’ kæts ‘dogs’
dɒɡz
‘jumps’ dʒʌmps ‘runs’
rʌnz
‘Pat’s’ pæts ‘Pam’s’
pæmz
14.2 Coalescent assimilation
 Coalescent assimilation of /t, d, s, z/ with /j/
/t/ + /j/  tʃ What you want /wɒtʃu: wɒnt/

/d/ + /j/  dʒ Would you? /wʊdʒuː/
/s/ + /j/  ʃ In case you need it /ɪŋ keɪʃuː niːd ɪt/
/z/ + /j/  ʒ Has your letter come? /hæʒɔː ˈletə kʌm/

14.3 ELISION
 Under certain circumstances, sounds disappear.

 As with assimilation, elision is typical of rapid, casual speech.
 Examples:
1. Loss of weak vowel after p, t, k
potato pəˈteɪtəʊ  pʰˈteɪtəʊ
tomato təˈmɑːtəʊ  tʰˈmɑːtəʊ
canary kəˈneəri  kʰˈneəri
perhaps pəˈhæps  pʰˈhæps
today təˈdeɪ  tʰˈdeɪ
14.3 ELISION
2. Weak vowel + n, l, r becomes syllabic consonant.
‘tonight’  tnaɪt
‘police’  pliːs
‘correct’  krekt
3. Avoidance of complex consonant clusters.
‘George the Sixth’s throne’ dʒɔːdʒ ðə sɪksθ θrəʊn
 sɪksθrəʊn / sɪksrəʊn
- In clusters of three plosives or two plosives plus a fricative, the middle
plosive may disappear.
‘acts’ ækts  æks ‘looked back’ lʊkt bæk  lʊk bæk
‘scripts’ skrɪpts  skrɪps
14.3 ELISION
4. Loss of final v in ‘of’ before consonants

‘lots of them’ lɒts ə ðəm
‘waste of money’ weɪst ə ˈmʌni
Pronunciation of contracted forms (see textbook page 114)
14.4 LINKING
 Linking r
- The phoneme r does not occur in syllable-final position in
the BBC accent, but when the spelling of a word suggests a
final r, and a word beginning with a vowel follows, the
pronunciation is to pronounce with r.
‘here’ hɪə but ‘here are’ hɪər ə
‘four eggs’ fɔː but ‘four eggs’ fɔːr egz
14.4 LINKING
 Intrusive r
- BBC speakers often use r in a similar way to link words
ending with a vowel, even when there is no ‘justification’ from
the spelling.
‘Formula A’ ˈfɔːmjələr eɪ
‘Australia all out’ ɒˈstreɪliər ɔːl aʊt
‘media event’ ˈmiːdiər ɪˈvent
Read more about juncture on page 115 & 116

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Chapter 14: Aspects of connected

In this sentence, the stressed syllables are given numbers:

 If Cf changes to become like Ci in some way, then the assimilation is called

 Differences in place of articulation

 Differences in manner of articulation

 When Cf is alveolar, Ci is not.

+ Before a dental consonant, t will change to a dental plosive t̪

‘that thing’ ðæt̪ θɪŋ ‘get those’ ɡet̪ ðəʊz

+ Before a velar consonant, the t will become k.

‘that case’ ðæk keɪs ‘bright colour’ braɪk ˈkʌlə

‘quite good’ kwaɪk ɡʊd

+ In similar context, d would become b, d̪, and g respectively.

‘good boy’ ɡʊb bɔɪ ‘bad thing’ bæd̪ θɪŋ

‘card game’ kɑːg ɡeɪm

+ n would become m, n̪, ŋ

‘green paper’ ɡriːm ˈpeɪpə ‘fine thought’ faɪn̪

‘ten girls’ teŋ ɡɜːlz

+ s becomes ʃ when followed by ʃ

‘this shoe’ ðɪʃ ʃuː

+ z becomes Ʒ when followed by j

‘those years’ ðəʊƷ jɪəz

- This is only found in the most rapid and casual speech.

- The change in manner is most likely to be towards an

‘that side’ ðæs saɪd ‘good night’ ɡʊn naɪt

- Progressive assimilation of manner: when a word-initial ð

follows a plosive or nasal at the end of a preceding word, it

is very common to find that the Ci becomes identical in

manner to the Cf but with dental place of articulation.

‘get them’ ɡet ðəm  ɡe̪tt̪əm

‘read these’ riːd ðiːz  riːd̪d̪iːz

- Only regressive assimilation of voice is found across word boundaries.

- If Cf is a lenis (voiced) consonant and C i is fortis (voiceless), we often find

that the lenis consonant has no voicing.

‘I have to’ aɪ hæv tu  aɪ hæf tu

‘chessecake’ ˈtʃiːzkeɪk  ˈtʃiːskeɪk

+ When a verb carries a third person singular ‘-s’ suffix, or a noun

be pronounced as s if the preceding consonant is fortis (voiceless) and as

z if the preceding consonant is lenis (voiced).

‘cats’ kæts ‘dogs’

‘jumps’ dʒʌmps ‘runs’

‘Pat’s’ pæts ‘Pam’s’

 Coalescent assimilation of /t, d, s, z/ with /j/

/t/ + /j/  tʃ What you want /wɒtʃu: wɒnt/

/s/ + /j/  ʃ In case you need it /ɪŋ keɪʃuː niːd ɪt/

/z/ + /j/  ʒ Has your letter come? /hæʒɔː ˈletə kʌm/

 Under certain circumstances, sounds disappear.

4. Loss of final v in ‘of’ before consonants

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