Aspects of Connected Speech

Aspects of connected speech
Content Elision
Linking
Practice: Think of a sentence:

a) Produce it with rhythm.
b) Recognize any assimilation.
Analyze.
A. Loss of weak vowel after p, t, k.
1. /phˈteɪˌtoʊ/ ___potato________________
2. /thˈmeɪˌtoʊ/ ____tomato______________
3. /khˈnɛri/ ___canary________________
4. /phˈhæps/ __perhaps_________________
5. /thˈdeɪ/ _____today______________
B. Weak vowel + n, l, r becomes syllabic consonant.
1. /tņaɪt/ ___tonight________________
2. /pļis/ ___please________________
3. /kŗɛkt/ ___________________
C. In clusters of 3 plosives or 2 plosives + a fricative, the middle plosive may

disappear.
1. /ækts/ - /æks/
____acts_______________
2. /lʊkt bæk/ - /lʊk bæk/
___looked back________________
3. /skrɪpts/ - /skrɪps/
_____scripts______________
A. Loss of final v in ‘of’ before consonants.
1. /lɑts ə ðəm/ - /lɑts ʌv ðɛm/
_lots of them__________________
2. /weɪst əˈmʌni/ - /weɪst ʌv ˈmʌni/
___________________
E. The vowel of ‘of’ is lost, leaving: v in a voiced context of f in a voiceless

context.
1. /ɔl v maɪn/ - /ɔl ʌv maɪn/
___________________
2. /bɛst f θri/ - /bɛstʌvθri/
___________________
E. Provide your own examples.

1. _________________________
2. _________________________
3. _________________________
4. _________________________
5. _________________________
Analyze this linked phrase.
Linking phrases:
A. Transcribe into alphabet.
1. /maɪtreɪn/ /______my train_______/
2. /maɪtreɪn/ /_____might rain________/
3. /ɔlðətaɪmˈæftərtəˈdeɪ/ /______________________________/
4. /ɔlðətaɪmˈæftərtəˈdeɪ/ /______________________________/
5. /treɪlɛndɪŋ/ /______________________________/
6. /treɪlɛndɪŋ/ /______________________________/
7. /kip stɪkɪŋ/ /______keep sticking_________/
8. /kips tɪkɪŋ/ /______ keep sticking ________/
A. Rewrite the phonetic transcription to show likely assimilations, elisions and

linking.
1. One cause of asthma is supposed to be allergies.

/wʌn kɔz əv ˈæsθmə ɪz səˈpoʊzd tə bi ˈælərʤiz /
/___________________________________________________________/
2. What the urban population could use is better trains.

/ wʌt ði ˈɜrbən ˌpɑpjəˈleɪʃən kʊd juz ɪz ˈbɛtər treɪnz /
/___________________________________________________________/
3. She acts particularly well in the first scene.

/ ʃi ækts ˌpɑrˈtɪkjələrli wɛl ɪn ðə fɜrst sin /
/___________________________________________________________/
Intonation
Content Forms and functions
To understand English intonation is also important to understand what tone and tone unit are.
This guide will provide some practice in tone identification and structure, simple tone, rising-falling
tone and falling-rising tome followed by a tail, and also high and fall heads.
Practice:
a) Say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ using a falling tone, in a definite, final manner.
b) Say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ using a level tone, in a flat manner.
b) Say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ using a rising tone, in a questioning manner.
A. Tones in other expressions.
Fall
Usually suggests a final o definite feeling.
e.g.stop, eighty, again
Rise
Often suggesting a question!
e.g.sure, really, tonight
Fall-rise
Often suggesting uncertainty or hesitation!!
e.g.some, nearly, perhaps
Rise-fall
Often sounds surprised or impressed??
e.g.oh. Lovely, immense
B. Draw the tone.
1. This train is for Leeds, York and Hull.
2. Can you give me a lift?
Possibly. Where to?
3. No! Certainly not! Go away!
4. Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken driving?
No!
5. If I give him money he goes and spends it.
If I lend him the bike he loses it.
He’s completely unreliable.
Activity 1
Analyze the example provided for tone identification and structure. Have a look at the TONE
UNIT.
PHHTSPHTSPHH
and then ‘nearer to the ˅front on the ̷
lefttheresa‘bit of
TSTHTS T
PH
\forest ‘coming ‘down to the \watersideand then a
HPH
‘bit of a ̷ bay
TS = tonic syllable A syllable which carries a tone but also a type of stress (tonic
stress).
PH = pre-head It’s composed of all the unstressed syllables in a tone-unit
preceding the first
stressed syllable.
H = head It’s all of that part of a tone-unit that extends from the first
stressed syllable up to
(but not including) the tonic syllable.
T = tail It’s any syllables between the tonic syllable and the end of the
tone-unit.
Activity 2
Look at the examples for PITCH.
̷ what did you say \why did you go
Activity 3
Watch the video about TONES. In how many possible ways can we say these expressions?
1. Yeah _yeah. _yeah?__ _yeah!_ _yeah!!_ __yeah …_

2. No _No.___________No? _ __No!__________No!!____ _No??___
3. Ok __Okey.__ ___Okey? _Okey!_____ _Okey!!_ __Okey??_
4. Right __Right.___ _Right?_ __Right!__ _Right!!_ __ Right??_

5. Hey __Hey.____ Hey?___ _ Hey!____ __ Hey!!_ ___ Hey_
6. Maybe __ Maybe. _ Maybe? __ Maybe! __ Maybe?? __ Maybe…_

7. Please __Please. _ Please!_ __ Please!! __ Please? __ Please??_
Activity 4
A. Add a number of extra syllables (as specified by the number un brackets) to
make a tail.
Example: go (2) Answer: go for it.
1. buy (3)___buy for now_________________________________

2. hear (1) ____hear me now________________________________
3. talk (2)_____talk to me_______________________________
A. Expand the following tonic syllables by putting heads in front of them,

containing the number of stressed syllables indicated in brackets.
Example: (2) dark Answer: ‘John was a’fraid of the dark.
1. (1) step ______ slowly you ’turn, step by step________

2. (3) train ___The ’passenger was in the train_______
3. (2) hot ____Leon ’city is very hot____________________
A. Draw a diagram of the pitch movements, leaving a gap between each syllable.
1. ‘Only when the ˅wind blows

↑ ↓ ↓ ↑
2. ̷ When did you say

3. ‘What was the \name of the place

Aspects of Connected Speech

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Aspects of connected speech

Practice: Think of a sentence:

A. Loss of weak vowel after p, t, k.

B. Weak vowel + n, l, r becomes syllabic consonant.

C. In clusters of 3 plosives or 2 plosives + a fricative, the middle plosive may

E. The vowel of ‘of’ is lost, leaving: v in a voiced context of f in a voiceless

E. Provide your own examples.

Analyze this linked phrase.

A. Rewrite the phonetic transcription to show likely assimilations, elisions and

1. One cause of asthma is supposed to be allergies.

2. What the urban population could use is better trains.

3. She acts particularly well in the first scene.

Content Forms and functions

A. Tones in other expressions.

B. Draw the tone.

1. This train is for Leeds, York and Hull.

2. Can you give me a lift?

Possibly. Where to?

3. No! Certainly not! Go away!

4. Did you know he’d been convicted of drunken driving?

5. If I give him money he goes and spends it.

If I lend him the bike he loses it.

He’s completely unreliable.

̷ what did you say \why did you go

1. Yeah _yeah. _yeah?__ _yeah!_ _yeah!!_ __yeah …_

3. Ok __Okey.__ ___Okey? _Okey!_____ _Okey!!_ __Okey??_

4. Right __Right.___ _Right?_ __Right!__ _Right!!_ __ Right??_

6. Maybe __ Maybe. _ Maybe? __ Maybe! __ Maybe?? __ Maybe…_

Example: go (2) Answer: go for it.

1. buy (3)___buy for now_________________________________

A. Expand the following tonic syllables by putting heads in front of them,

Example: (2) dark Answer: ‘John was a’fraid of the dark.

1. (1) step ______ slowly you ’turn, step by step________

1. ‘Only when the ˅wind blows

2. ̷ When did you say

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3. Ok Okey. ___Okey? _Okey!_____ _Okey!!_ __Okey??_

4. Right Right._ _Right?_ Right! _Right!!_ __ Right??_

6. Maybe __ Maybe. _ Maybe? Maybe! Maybe?? __ Maybe…_

1. buy (3)_buy for now_______________________________

1. (1) step slowly you ’turn, step by step__