Connected Speech and Pronunciation Practice

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Questions and Answers

Which of the following phrases demonstrates progressive assimilation with initial [ð]?

on the shelves (correct)

But there are reasons

Are those yours?

Then therefore

What term is used for the assimilation pattern that occurs in phrases like 'She has to'?

Postnasal assimilation

Progressive assimilation of voicing

Regressive assimilation of voicing (correct)

Coalescent assimilation of voicing

Which example DOES NOT illustrate assimilation of yod in 'you' in a tag question?

You should visit, shouldn’t you?

You didn’t do that, did you?

You can´t swim, can you? (correct)

You couldn´t find it, could you?

What is one common context in which elision of [t̠] or [d̠] occurs?

Between two other consonants Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents the rapid pronunciation of the word 'absolute'?

[ˈapsǝluːt̠] Signup and view all the answers

Which example does NOT illustrate elision of [t̠] or [d̠]?

smoked herring Signup and view all the answers

In the phrase 'how’s the patient?', which assimilation type is demonstrated?

Progressive assimilation Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of assimilation on the phrase 'what’s the matter?'?

It merges consonants into a smoother flow. Signup and view all the answers

Which phenomenon describes the insertion of a consonant between a nasal and a fricative? For example, in the word 'fence'.

Epenthesis Signup and view all the answers

In what context does an alveolar stop consonant typically change to a bilabial sound in English?

When followed by a bilabial consonant Signup and view all the answers

What type of assimilation leads to the merging of the sounds [t̠] and [j] into [tʃ]?

Coalescent assimilation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following shows an example of elision of a consonant in rapid English speech?

Lost my mind Signup and view all the answers

What is the process of pronouncing two words as one because the first ends in a consonant and the next begins with a vowel?

Liaison or linking Signup and view all the answers

In non-rhotic accents, when is the linking r typically pronounced?

Only preceding a vowel Signup and view all the answers

What is intrusive r in the context of spoken English?

Insertion of a [ɹ] sound where it does not appear in the spelling Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about elision is true?

It is characterized by the removal of sounds in speech. Signup and view all the answers

Which environment typically triggers intrusive r in non-rhotic English?

Betweent vowels [ɑː], [ɔː], and [ǝ] Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of epenthesis in speech?

To insert a sound that was initially absent Signup and view all the answers

Which phonetic phenomenon is characterised by pronouncing word-final consonants if a vowel follows in connected speech?

Linking or Liaison Signup and view all the answers

What is an example of citation form in language?

The standard pronunciation of a word in isolation Signup and view all the answers

What most typically occurs in the rapid pronunciation of [n̠] + [d̠] + [j] sequences as in 'endure' in General British?

[d̠] and [j] coalesce. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following speech forms commonly elides /h/?

Function words in weak forms. Signup and view all the answers

In informal speech, how is the dental fricative [ð] treated in the word 'them' if it is unaccented?

It is often elided. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common elision in the word 'clothes'?

Elision of [ð]. Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of the rapid pronunciation of the sequence [skt] in connected speech, as in 'asked me'?

[k] is elided. Signup and view all the answers

What commonly happens to the [v] in the word 'of' before [ð], as in 'of them'?

[v] is elided. Signup and view all the answers

How do forms of numerals like 'fifth' or 'twelfth' generally behave in terms of elision?

They elide the consonant preceding [θ] . Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following pairs may exhibit reciprocal assimilation in rapid speech?

[l + ð / and [n̠ + ð] Signup and view all the answers

What is described as a change in the manner of articulation in phonetics?

A change in how the sound is articulated in terms of constriction in the oral cavity. Signup and view all the answers

Which type of assimilation commonly affects unstressed initial [ð] in English, as in 'all the' or 'in the'?

Nasal and lateral assimilation. Signup and view all the answers

Which example illustrates historical elision in English speech?

listen Signup and view all the answers

Why do both contemporary and historical assimilation processes occur?

Due to phonetic conditioning. Signup and view all the answers

What label is given to elision that is not based on historical changes?

Contextual Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following represents assimilation where two sounds merge?

behind you Signup and view all the answers

What is the term used for the extintion of the original pronunciation of words with all their sounds?

Historical elision. Signup and view all the answers

What type of phonetic change is exemplified by 'fail the test' becoming [ˈfeɪl lǝ ˈt̠ʰɛst̠]?

Assimilation of point and manner of articulation. Signup and view all the answers

In phonetics, what is elision primarily characterized by?

Deleting a phoneme Signup and view all the answers

The rapid pronunciation of which expression(s) reflects a contemporary example of both assimilation and elision?

Join the army Signup and view all the answers

The alveolar stop will become bilabial in rapidly pronouncing the word 'footpath'. How will this happen?

By assimilating to the bilabial regressively. Signup and view all the answers

When an intrusive consonant is pronounced to favour fluency in speech, what is that sound called?

Epenthetic Signup and view all the answers

In which context [t̠] or [d̠] will NOT be elided in connected speech.

If a glottal fricative consonant follows Signup and view all the answers

In the rapid pronunciation of the phrase 'failed test'. What processe(s)may occur?

Elision of [d̠] Signup and view all the answers

In informal speech, how is the dental fricative [ð] treated in the word 'them' if it is accented?

It is pronounced. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Connected Speech Surprises

All languages simplify connected speech (e.g., compounds, inflections) to ease articulation.
This simplification varies between languages and even accents within a language.
Native speakers are often unaware of these processes and may be surprised by them.
Differences aren't random; clear patterns exist.

Activity B2.1 - Recording 2.1

The activity involves practicing pronunciation of English words and phrases, first using citation forms in column 1 and then connected speech forms in column 2.
Examples of words used in the activity include headquarters, main course, matched pairs, and perhaps.

Phonetic Conditioning

Phonetic conditioning describes how speech segments are influenced by surrounding sounds.
This influences variations in phoneme realization.
Three main types are: allophonic variation, assimilation, and elision.

Assimilation

Assimilation is a phonetic conditioning process where one phoneme is replaced by another due to the influence of a neighboring phoneme.
Example: "broadcast" might become "brogka:st"
"Broad" (ideal form) vs "brog" (assimilated form)
This type of assimilation can involve replacing one phoneme with another(/d/ → /g/ in the example above).
Assimilation takes into account the "ideal form" of words, which is the form corresponding to what native speakers have in their minds (i.e., a careful pronunciation).

Patterns of Assimilation in English

Articulation features can anticipate or lag behind following/preceding segments
Leading Assimilation: feature anticipation
Lagging Assimilation: delay of articulators
Reciprocal Assimilation: Two-way exchange of articulation features
Types of influence:
final alveolars replaced by bilabials or velars, when preceded by /p b m/ or /k g/
Place assimilation is common in English
Fortis/voiceless alveolars remain fortis/voiceless, while lenis/voiced alveolars remain lenis/voiced

Historical Assimilation and Elision

Distinguishing between contemporary (present-day) and historical processes of assimilation and elision.
In contemporary processes, there's a pre-existing ideal form, as is the case for absolutely, and the assimilation/elision takes place only in certain contexts.
When the original forms become extinct, and the assimilated forms become fixed, then it's considered historical, e.g., 'cupboard' (/kʌbəd/) which is assimilated from */kapbɔ:d/).

Liaison

The opposite of elision, liaison involves inserting an extra sound/phoneme.
Rhotic vs. non-rhotic accents: /r/ pronunciation varies.
Linking r: occurs where there is no r in the spelling.
Intrusive r: a linking r when a surrounding vowel and no explicit /r/ exists.

Epenthesis

Epenthesis: inserting a phoneme/sound to separate sounds.
The insertion of a homorganic plosive between a nasal and a fricative (e.g., sense vs. scents).

Activity B2.4

Recognizing how different speakers treat certain consonant pairs. (e.g., mince/mints)
Understanding variation and the different ways people pronounce words.

Patterns of Assimilation and Elision in English

Assimilation and elision processes are more frequent in informal, fast speech.
Types of assimilation: leading, lagging, reciprocal.
Leading assimilation of place of final alveolars, alveolar → bilabial in context preceding bilabial
Alveolar → velar in context preceding velar
Elision of /t/ and /d/ in consonant sequences

Coalescent assimilation with /j/

Some consonants merge with /j/, resulting in new sounds or combinations.
This is particularly noticeable in tag questions with "you".

Energy Assimilation

Rare in English, but sometimes used with 'to' and 'have to'.
Obvious assimilation is not common in English
No fortis-to-lenis assimilation, such as back door-> bag door

Elision of /t/ and /d/ in consonant sequences

Deletion of /t/ or /d/ is common when surrounded by other consonants, specifically when in a sequence of 3 consonants.

Other Notable Elisions

h-dropping is common, especially with weak forms of function words.
Elision of the dental fricative /ð/, especially in casual speech or informal registers.
Particular variations in the form of numbers like 'fifth' and 'twelfth'
Elision of /v/ in 'of', e.g. 'three of the websites' becoming 'three o' the websites'

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Description

Explore the intricacies of connected speech and phonetic conditioning with this comprehensive quiz. Test your understanding of pronunciation variations, including assimilation and elision, while practicing with real English phrases. Ideal for language learners looking to improve their fluency through awareness of these speech patterns.