x

xTypes of Connected Speech

ASSIMILATION

/t/ ->/p/ before /p/, /b/ and /m/ meet people ˈmiːt xx ˈpʰiː.pəɫ ˈmiːp xx ˈpʰiː.pəɫ sit back ˈsɪt xx ˈbæk ˈsɪp xx ˈbæk that man ˈðæt xx ˈmæn ˈðæp xx ˈmæn

/t/ ->/k/ before /k/ and /g/ white cat ˈwaɪt xx ˈkʰæt ˈwaɪk xx ˈkʰæt fat guy ˈfæt xx ˈɡaɪ ˈfæk xx ˈɡaɪ

/d/ -> /b/ before /p/, /b/ and /m/ bad person ˈbæd xx ˈpʰɝː.sn̩ ˈbæb xx ˈpʰɝː.sn̩ blood bank ˈblʌd xx ˈbæŋk ˈblʌb xx ˈbæŋk good man ˈɡʊd xx ˈmæn ˈɡʊb xx ˈmæn

/ d/ -> /g/ before /k/ and /g/ sand castle ˈsænd xx ˈkʰæs.əɫ ˈsæng xx ˈkʰæs.əɫ good girl ˈɡʊd xx ˈɡɝːɫ ˈɡʊg xx ˈɡɝːɫ

/n/ -> /m/ before /p/, /b/ and /m/ brown paper ˈbraʊn xx ˈpʰeɪ.pɚ ˈbraʊm xx ˈpʰeɪ.pɚ one boat ˈwʌn xx ˈboʊt ˈwʌm xx ˈboʊt open mind ˈoʊ.pən xx ˈmaɪnd ˈoʊ.pəm xx ˈmaɪnd

/n/ -> /ŋ/ before /k/ and /g/ pen cap ˈpʰɛn xx ˈkʰæp ˈpʰɛŋ xx ˈkʰæp green grass ˈɡriːn xx ˈɡræs ˈɡriːŋ xx ˈɡræs

/nt/ -> /mp/ before /p/, /b/ and /m/ don’t play ˈdoʊnt xx ˈpleɪ ˈdoʊmp xx ˈpleɪ don’t buy ˈdoʊnt xx ˈbaɪ ˈdoʊmp xx ˈbaɪ don’t miss ˈdoʊnt xx ˈmɪs ˈdoʊmp xx ˈmɪs

/nd/ -> /mb/ before /p/, /b/ and /m/ stand proud ˈstænd xx ˈpraʊd ˈstæmb xx ˈpraʊd stand by ˈstænd xx ˈbaɪ ˈstæmb xx ˈbaɪ understand me ˌʌndɚˈstænd xx ˈmi: ˌʌndɚˈstæmb xx ˈmi:

/nt/ -> /ŋk/ before /k/ and /g/ don’t care ˈdoʊnt xx ˈkʰɛr ˈdoʊŋk xx ˈkʰɛr don’t go ˈdoʊnt xx ˈɡoʊ ˈdoʊŋk xx ˈɡoʊ

/nd/ -> /ŋg/ before /k/ and /g/ blind kid ˈblaɪnd xx ˈkʰɪd ˈblaɪŋg xx ˈkʰɪd blonde girl ˈblɑːnd xx ˈɡɝːɫ ˈblɑːŋg xx ˈɡɝːɫ

/θ/ -> / s / before / s / fourth season ˈfɔːrθ xx ˈsiː.zn̩ ˈfɔːrs xx ˈsiː.zn̩ both sides ˈboʊθ xx ˈsaɪdz ˈboʊs xx ˈsaɪdz north star ˈnɔːrθ xx ˈstɑːr ˈnɔːrs xx ˈstɑːr

/s/ ->/ʃ/ before /ʃ/ and /j/   nice shoes ˈnaɪs ˈʃuːz ˈnaɪʃ ˈʃuːz     miss you ˈmɪs ˈjuː ˈmɪʃ ˈjuː

/z/ ->/ʒ/ before /ʃ/ and /j/ these shadows ˈðiːz ˈʃæɾ.oz ˈðiːʒ ˈʃæɾ.oz those years ˈðoʊz ˈjɪrz ˈðoʊʒ ˈjɪrz

/t/ + /j/ ->/tʃ/ get you ˈɡɛt ˈjuː ˈɡɛtʃə

/d/ + /j/->/dʒ/ could you ˈkʰʊd ˈjuː ˈkʰʊdʒə

/s/ + /j/ –> /ʃ/ kiss you ˈkʰɪs ˈjuː ˈkʰɪʃˈjə

/z/ + /j/ -> /ʒ/ How´s your ˈhaʊz jɔːr ˈhaʊʒɚ

/b/ ->/p/ before /p/ web page ˈwɛb ˈpʰeɪdʒ ˈwɛp ˈpʰeɪdʒ

/d/ ->/t/ before /t/ bad time ˈbæd ˈtʰaɪm ˈbæt ˈtʰaɪm

/g/ ->/k/ before /k/ big cat ˈbɪɡ xx ˈkʰæt ˈbɪk xx ˈkʰæt

/z/ ->/s/ before /s/ these seats ˈðiːz xx ˈsiːts ˈðiːs xx ˈsiːts

/ð/ -> /θ/ before /θ/ smooth things ˈsmuːð xx ˈθɪŋz ˈsmuːθ xx ˈθɪŋz

/dʒ/ ->/tʃ/ before /tʃ/ orange chicken ˈɑːr.ɪndʒ xx ˈtʃɪk.n̩ ˈɑːr.ɪntʃ xx ˈtʃɪk.n̩

ELISION

A) Elision of Schwa
The weak vowel /ə/ (schwa) is frequently elided:

potato	pə.ˈtʰeɪ.ɾoʊ
banana	bə.ˈnæn.ə
today	tə.ˈdeɪ
police	pə.ˈliːs
parade	pɚ.ˈreɪd
collision	kə.ˈlɪʒ.ən
believe	bə.ˈliːv
saloon	sə.ˈluːn
similar	ˈsɪm.ə.lɚ
family	fæm.ə.li
broccoli	ˈbrɑː.kə.li

When /l/, /r/, /m/, or /n/ comes after an unstressed syllable, the /ə/ sound is typically omitted.

B) Elision of / t / and / d /

sandwich	ˈsænd.ˌwɪtʃ
must be	ˈmʌst ˈbiː
next week	ˈnɛkst ˈwiːk
windmill	ˈwɪnd.ˌmɪɫ
handbag	ˈhænd.ˌbæɡ
friendship	ˈfrɛnd.ˌʃɪp
lastly	ˈlæst.li
restless	ˈrɛst.ləs
facts	ˈfækts

C) Elision of / h /

must have	ˈmʌst ˈhæv
call him	ˈkʰɔːɫ ˈhɪm
tell her	ˈtʰɛɫ ˈhɝː
come here	ˈkʰʌm ˈhɪr

D) Elision of —ss ss–

big gate	ˈbɪɡ ˈɡeɪt
black cat	ˈblæk ˈkʰæt
both things	ˈboʊθ ˈθɪŋz
good day	ˈɡʊd ˈdeɪ
make cars	ˈmeɪk ˈkʰɑrz
meet Tom	ˈmit ˈtʰɑm
this sack	ˈðɪs ˈsæk
what time	ˈwɑt ˈtʰaɪm

LINKING

A) — Cs Vs—-

click it	ˈklɪ   kˈɪt
pick up	ˈpʰɪ   kˈʌp
pull out	ˈpʰʊ   ɫˈaʊt
sell it	ˈsɛ   ɫˈɪt
walk in	ˈwɔ   kˈɪn
work out	ˈwɝ   kˈaʊt
works alone	ˈwɝk   sə   ˈloʊn

B) — Vs / ɪ , iː/ jVs-—

buy it	ˈbaɪ j ˈɪt
my apple	ˈmaɪ j ˈæpəɫ
my aunt	ˈmaɪ j ˈænt
my eyes	ˈmaɪ j ˈaɪz
three onions	ˈθri j ˈʌnjənz
very old	ˈvɛrɪ j ˈoʊɫd
way out	ˈweɪ j ˈaʊt

C) — Vs / ʊ , u/ wVs—

blue is	ˈblu  w ˈɪz
do it	ˈdu  w ˈɪt
go on	ˈɡoʊ  w ˈɔn
show it	ˈʃoʊ  w ˈɪt
to open	ˈtʰu  w ˈoʊ  pən
who is	ˈhu  w ˈɪz
you are	ˈju   w ˈɑr

RELAXED PRONUNCIATION

(Assimilation + Elision + Linking + Stress)

In many contexts, the three words “have,” “of,” and “to” become a single schwa sound [ə].

could have: “coulda”

must have: “musta”

should have: “shoulda”

would have: “woulda”

a lot of: “a lotta”

kind of: “kinda”

out of: “outta”

sort of: “sorta”

going to: “gonna”

got to: “gotta”

have to: “hafta”

want to: “wanna”

trying to: “tryna“

fixing to: “finna” (means “going to”)

More Examples:

give me : “gimme”

going to : “gonna”

got to: “gotta”

let me: “lemme”

want to : “wanna”

want a: “wanna”

is he: “izee”

is it: “zit”

don’t know: “dunno”

what is that: “wussat”

what is up: “wassup”

what is up: “sup”

What are you: “whatcha”

what do you: “whaddaya”

probably: “probly”

come here: “cuhmeer”

you all: “y’all”

am not/are not/is not : “ain’t”

has not/have not: “ain’t”

what are you: “whatcha“

what have you: “whatcha“