Connected Speech 1-2 PDF

Chapter 29 Connected speech 1 29.1 Connected speech processes The pronunciation of a word can vary depending on its phonetic environment. We have seen an example of this in the case of words which have strong and weak forms (see Chapter 24), the strong form being used when the word is stressed...

Chapter 29 Connected speech 1 29.1 Connected speech processes The pronunciation of a word can vary depending on its phonetic environment. We have seen an example of this in the case of words which have strong and weak forms (see Chapter 24), the strong form being used when the word is stressed and the weak form when it is unstressed. The context of the surrounding sounds also has an important influence on a word’s pronun- ciation. When we quote a word in isolation, we give what is known as the citation form of the word, and this is the pronunciation represented in dictionaries. However, words aren’t usually uttered in isolation but are preceded and followed by other words. As a result, adjacent sounds influence each other across word boundaries, which often causes a change in the pronunciation of a word. A pronunciation of a word influenced by the sounds in surrounding words is known as a connected speech form. The three connected speech processes which result in connected speech forms are: Elision /ɪˈlɪʒn̩/: A phoneme present in the citation form is lost in the connected speech form. Liaison /liːˈeɪzn̩/: A phoneme not present in the citation form appears in the connected speech form. Assimilation /əˌsɪmɪˈleɪʃn̩/: A phoneme in the citation form changes into another phoneme in the connected speech form (see Chapter 30). 29.2 Elision: /t d/ The most common kind of elision involves the alveolar plosives /t/ and /d/. These can be elided /ɪˈlaɪdɪd/ (i.e. undergo elision) when they are at the end of a word, are preceded by a consonant, and the next word begins with a consonant. At the end of a word, /t/ can be elided in /st/, /ft/, /pt/ and /kt/, for example: best friend /ˈbest ˈfrend/ → /ˈbes ˈfrend/ lift me /ˈlɪft miː/ → /ˈlɪf miː/ kept quiet /ˈkept ˈkwaɪət/ → /ˈkep ˈkwaɪət/ act badly /ˈækt ˈbædliː/ → /ˈæk ˈbædliː/ At the end of a word, /d/ can be elided in /nd/ and /ld/, for example: stand still /ˈstænd ˈstɪl/ → /ˈstæn ˈstɪl/ hold tight /ˈhəʊld ˈtaɪt/ → /ˈhəʊl ˈtaɪt/ DOI: 10.4324/9781003411338-29 146 Connected speech 1 But note that /t/ can’t be elided when preceded by /l/ or /n/, for example: felt sad /ˈfelt ˈsæd/, not /ˈfel ˈsæd/ bent nail /ˈbent ˈneɪl/, not /ˈben ˈneɪl/ However, in the negative contractions with two syllables (e.g. shouldn’t, didn’t, wasn’t, etc.), the /t/ of /nt/ is often elided, for example isn’t sure /ˈɪzn̩ ˈʃɔː/. 29.3 Elision of the -ed suffix Very often, the /t/ or /d/ at the end of a word represents the -ed suffix (see Section 4.8). In such cases, elision is possible though less common than in other cases. The /t/ representing the -ed suffix can be elided in /st/, /ft/, /pt/, /kt/, /ʃt/, /ʧt/ and /θt/, for example: forced forward /ˈfɔːst ˈfɔːwəd/ → /ˈfɔːs ˈfɔːwəd/ stuffed my face /ˈstʌft maɪ ˈfeɪs/ → /ˈstʌf maɪ ˈfeɪs/ stopped working /ˈstɒpt ˈwɜːkɪŋ/ → /ˈstɒp ˈwɜːkɪŋ/ looked nice /ˈlʊkt ˈnaɪs/ → /ˈlʊk ˈnaɪs/ brushed my teeth /ˈbrʌʃt maɪ ˈtiːθ/ → /ˈbrʌʃ maɪ ˈtiːθ/ switched channels /ˈswɪʧt ˈʧænl̩ z/ → /ˈswɪʧ ˈʧænl̩ z/ unearthed these /ʌnˈɜːθt ˈðiːz/ → /ʌnˈɜːθ ˈðiːz/ The /d/ representing the -ed suffix can be elided in /nd/, /ld/, /bd/, /ɡd/, /vd/, /ðd/, /zd/, /ʤd/, /md/ and /ŋd/, for example: fanned the flames /ˈfænd ðə ˈfleɪmz/ → /ˈfæn ðə ˈfleɪmz/ appealed to them /əˈpiːld tə ðəm/ → /əˈpiːl tə ðəm/ clubbed together /ˈklʌbd təˈɡeðə/ → /ˈklʌb təˈɡeðə/ shrugged my shoulders /ˈʃrʌɡd maɪ ˈʃəʊldəz/ → /ˈʃrʌɡ maɪ ˈʃəʊldəz/ saved my breath /ˈseɪvd maɪ ˈbreθ/ → /ˈseɪv maɪ ˈbreθ/ mouthed the answer /ˈmaʊðd ðiː ˈɑːnsə/ → /ˈmaʊð ðiː ˈɑːnsə/ amused me /əˈmjuːzd miː/ → /əˈmjuːz miː/ managed to do it /ˈmænɪʤd tə ˈduː ɪt/ → /ˈmænɪʤ tə ˈduː ɪt/ calmed down /ˈkɑːmd ˈdaʊn/ → /ˈkɑːm ˈdaʊn/ belonged to me /bɪˈlɒŋd tə miː/ → /bɪˈlɒŋ tə miː/ 29.4 Elision in word formation Elision can occur not only in connected speech but also when suffixes are added to words and when words are combined to form compounds, for example: firstly /ˈfɜːstliː/ → /ˈfɜːsliː/ coastguard /ˈkəʊstɡɑːd/ → /ˈkəʊsɡɑːd/ lifts /lɪfts/ → /lɪfs/ software /ˈsɒftwɛː/ → /ˈsɒfwɛː/ collects /kəˈlekts/ → /kəˈleks/ fact-finding /ˈfæktfaɪndɪŋ/ → /ˈfækfaɪndɪŋ/ accepts /əkˈsepts/ → /əkˈseps/ scriptwriter /ˈskrɪptraɪtə/ → /ˈskrɪpraɪtə/ hands /hændz/ → /hænz/ grandfather /ˈɡrændfɑːðə/ → /ˈɡrænfɑːðə/ fields /fiːldz/ → /fiːlz/ childcare /ˈʧaɪldkɛː/ → /ˈʧaɪlkɛː/  Connected speech 1 147 29.5 Elision of /k/ in /sk/ Like /t/ and /d/, the voiceless velar plosive /k/ can be elided when it is at the end of a word and both preceded and followed by a consonant. Elision of /k/ is less common than /t/ and /d/ because it only occurs in words ending with /sk/ and relatively few such words exist. This can occur within words, for example: asked /ɑːskt/ → /ɑːst/ risked /rɪskt/ → /rɪst/ masked /mɑːskt/ → /mɑːst/ tasked /tɑːskt/ → /tɑːst/ Or in connected speech, for example: ask them /ˈɑːsk ðəm/ → /ˈɑːs ðəm/ dusk till dawn /ˈdʌsk tɪl ˈdɔːn/ → /ˈdʌs tɪl ˈdɔːn/ Note that the elision of /k/ in /skt/ leaves /st/ at the end of the word, which can be further reduced to /s/ through the elision of /t/ when a consonant follows, for example: I asked both of them. /aɪ ˈɑːst ˈbəʊθ əv ðəm/ → /aɪ ˈɑːs ˈbəʊθ əv ðəm/ 29.6 Elision of /p/ in /mpt/ and /k/ in /ŋkt/ The /p/ of word-final /mp/ and the /k/ of word-final /ŋk/ can be elided when followed by the /t/ of the -ed suffix, for example: jumped /ʤʌmpt/ → /ʤʌmt/ linked /lɪŋkt/ → /lɪŋt/ This can also occur in the small number of words that end in /mpt/ and /kt/ in the same mor- pheme, for example: prompt /prɒmpt/ → /prɒmt/ extinct /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ → /ɪkˈstɪŋt/ 29.7 Liaison Liaison in English involves the insertion of an /r/ at the end of a word. This happens after a cer- tain set of vowels (known as the /r/-liaison vowels; see Section 14.10) when the following word begins with a vowel. Liaison occurs when there’s no pause or break between the two words. We show liaison with the IPA ‘linking’ symbol [‿]. The seven /r/-liaison vowels are schwa /ə/, square /ɛː/, nurse /ɜː/, thought /ɔː/, palm /ɑː/, near /ɪə/ and cure /ʊə/, for example: schwa /ə/ never /ˈnevə/ → never in doubt /ˈnevər ‿ɪn ˈdaʊt/ square /ɛː/ fair /fɛː/ → a fair amount /ə ˈfɛːr ‿əˈmaʊnt/ nurse /ɜː/ occur /əˈkɜː/ → occur often /əˈkɜːr ‿ˈɒfn̩ / thought /ɔː/ more /mɔː/ → more or less /ˈmɔːr ‿ɔː ˈles/ palm /ɑː/ far /fɑː/ → far out /ˈfɑːr ‿ˈaʊt/ near /ɪə/ year /jɪə/ → year on year /ˈjɪər ‿ɒn ˈjɪə/ cure /ʊə/ pure /pjʊə/ → pure air /ˈpjʊər ‿ˈɛː/ 148 Connected speech 1 There’s usually an in the spelling of words that undergo /r/-liaison, but /r/ can also be inserted between an /r/-liaison vowel and a following vowel even when there isn’t a letter in the spelling, for example: I saw it. /aɪ ˈsɔːr‿ɪt/ The idea of it. /ðiː aɪˈdɪər‿əv ɪt/ data entry /ˈdeɪtər‿entriː/ a spa offer /ə ˈspɑːr‿ɒfə/ 29.8 Liaison and weak forms Liaison occurs with the five weak forms that end with schwa: are /ə/, were /wə/, for /fə/, her /(h)ə/ (or /(h)ɜː/) and there /ðə/. For example: Are all swans white? /ər‿ˈɔːl ˈswɒnz ˈwaɪt/ You were out. /juː wər‿ˈaʊt/ For example. /fər‿ɪɡˈzɑːmpl̩ / Ask her again. /ˈɑːsk ər‿əˈɡen/ I found her office. /aɪ ˈfaʊnd ər‿ˈɒfɪs/ There are many. /ðər‿ə ˈmeniː/ The three contractions you’re /jɔː/, we’re /wɪə/ and they’re /ðɛː/ also end with /r/-liaison vowels, for example: You’re awful. /jɔːr‿ˈɔːfl̩ / We’re away. /wɪər‿əˈweɪ/ They’re empty. /ðɛːr‿ˈemptiː/ Liaison also occurs before the weak forms that involve the loss of an initial consonant: have /əv/, has /əz/, had /əd/, he /iː/, him /ɪm/, his /ɪz/, her /ə/ (or /ɜː/), would /əd/ and will /əl/. For example: Where have you been? /ˈwɛːr‿əv juː ˈbiːn/ My favourite teddy bear has gone. /maɪ ˈfeɪvrət ˈtediː bɛːr‿əz ˈɡɒn/ All four had left. /ˈɔːl ˈfɔːr‿əd ˈleft/ The year he died. /ðə ˈjɪər‿iː ˈdaɪd/ Answer him. /ˈɑːnsər‿ɪm/ I prefer his brother. /aɪ prɪˈfɜːr‿ɪz ˈbrʌðə/ You scare her to death. /juː ˈskɛːr‿ə tə ˈdeθ/ Gather her things. /ˈɡæðər‿ɜː ˈθɪŋz/ The bar would be closed. /ðə ˈbɑːr‿əd biː ˈkləʊzd/ Two more will do. /ˈtuː ˈmɔːr‿əl ˈduː/  Connected speech 1 149 29.9 Liaison in word formation Liaison can occur not only in connected speech but also when suffixes are added to words, for example: fever /ˈfiːvə/ → feverish /ˈfiːvərɪʃ/ wear /wɛː/ → wearing /ˈwɛːrɪŋ/ fur /fɜː/ → furry /ˈfɜːriː/ bore /bɔː/ → boring /ˈbɔːrɪŋ/ spar /spɑː/ → sparring /ˈspɑːrɪŋ/ dear /ˈdɪə/ → dearest /ˈdɪərəst/ pure /ˈpjʊə/ → purist /ˈpjʊərɪst/ And when words are combined to form compounds, for example: over /ˈəʊvə/ → overall /ˌəʊvərˈɔːl/ far /fɑː/ → faraway /ˈfɑːrəweɪ/ where /wɛː/ → whereabouts /ˈwɛːrəbaʊts/ ear /ɪə/ → earache /ˈɪəreɪk/ more /mɔː/ → moreover /mɔːrˈəʊvə/ cure /kjʊə/ → cure-all /ˈkjʊərɔːl/ Liaison can also occur within words when there isn’t an in the spelling, though there are few words which provide the necessary phonetic context, for example: drawing /ˈdrɔːrɪŋ/ baa-ing /ˈbɑːrɪŋ/ salsa-ing /ˈsælsərɪŋ/ 29.10 Liaison with /j/ and /w/? Works on pronunciation teaching sometimes include liaison with /j/ and /w/, but this is merely a teaching tip, and no such liaison occurs in English. No /j/ is inserted when fleece /iː/, face /eɪ/, price /aɪ/ and choice /ɔɪ/ are followed by a vowel, for example seeing /ˈsiːɪŋ/ not /ˈsiːjɪŋ/, agree on /əˈɡriː ɒn/ not /əˈɡriːj‿ɒn/, player /ˈpleɪə/ not /ˈpleɪjə/, say it /ˈseɪ ɪt/ not /ˈseɪj‿ɪt/, fire /ˈfaɪə/ not /ˈfaɪjə/, try out /ˈtraɪ ˈaʊt/ not /ˈtraɪj‿ˈaʊt/, joyous /ˈʤɔɪəs/ not /ˈʤɔɪjəs/, employ us /ɪmˈplɔɪ əs/ not /ɪmˈplɔɪj‿əs/. No /w/ is inserted when goose /uː/, goat /əʊ/ and mouth /aʊ/ are followed by a vowel, for example doing /duːɪŋ/ not /duːwɪŋ/, two inches /ˈtuː ˈɪnʧɪz/ not /ˈtuːw‿ˈɪnʧɪz/, going /ˈɡəʊɪŋ/ not /ˈɡəʊwɪŋ/, no answer /ˈnəʊ ˈɑːnsə/ not /ˈnəʊw‿ˈɑːnsə/, flour /ˈflaʊə/ not /ˈflaʊwə/, how awful /ˈhaʊ ˈɔːf l̩ / not /ˈhaʊw‿ˈɔːf l̩ /. Chapter 30 Connected speech 2 30.1 Types of assimilation Assimilation in English is usually anticipatory, meaning that a sound is influenced by a sound which follows it. Occasionally, assimilation in English is perseverative, meaning that a sound is influenced by a sound which precedes it. In the case of anticipatory assimilation, the change happens because the articulators are get- ting ready to make the next sound while still articulating the present sound, i.e. they anticipate the following sound. When the assimilation is perseverative, the articulators are still in the posi- tion for the earlier sound when they are articulating the present sound, i.e. some aspect of the articulation perseveres into the following sound. The most common type of assimilation in English is place assimilation, which involves a change of place of articulation. Voicing assimilation and manner assimilation are also pos- sible, but they are rare in English. 30.2 Place assimilation: /t d n/ The alveolar plosives /t d/ and the alveolar nasal /n/ take the place of articulation of a following plosive or nasal. The voiceless alveolar plosive /t/ becomes its bilabial equivalent, a voiceless bilabial plosive /p/, when the following sound is bilabial /p/, /b/ or /m/, for example: /t/ → /p/ wet /wet/ → wet paint /ˈwep ˈpeɪnt/ jet /ʤet/ → jet black /ˈʤep ˈblæk/ white /waɪt/ → white mice /ˈwaɪp ˈmaɪs/ The voiced alveolar plosive /d/ becomes its bilabial equivalent, a voiced bilabial plosive /b/, when the following sound is bilabial /p/, /b/ or /m/, for example: /d/ → /b/ bad /bæd/ → a bad person /ə ˈbæb ˈpɜːsn̩ / loud /laʊd/ → a loud bang /ə ˈlaʊb ˈbæŋ/ red /red/ → red meat /ˈreb ˈmiːt/ DOI: 10.4324/9781003411338-30  Connected speech 2 151 The voiced alveolar nasal /n/ becomes its bilabial equivalent, a voiced bilabial nasal /m/, when the following sound is bilabial /p/, /b/ or /m/, for example: /n/ → /m/ brown /braʊn/ → brown paper /ˈbraʊm ˈpeɪpə/ thin /θɪn/ → a thin book /ə ˈθɪm ˈbʊk/ lean /liːn/ → lean meat /ˈliːm ˈmiːt/ The voiceless alveolar plosive /t/ becomes its velar equivalent, a voiceless velar plosive /k/, when the following sound is velar /k/ or /ɡ/, for example: /t/ → /k/ hot /hɒt/ → hot coffee /ˈhɒk ˈkɒfiː/ quite /kwaɪt/ → quite good /ˈkwaɪk ˈɡʊd/ The voiced alveolar plosive /d/ becomes its velar equivalent, a voiced velar plosive /ɡ/, when the following sound is velar /k/ or /ɡ/, for example: /d/ → /ɡ/ red /red/ → a red gate /ə ˈreɡ ˈɡeɪt/ bad /bæd/ → a bad group /ə ˈbæɡ ˈɡruːp/ The voiced alveolar nasal /n/ becomes its velar equivalent, a voiced velar nasal /ŋ/, when the following sound is velar /k/ or /ɡ/, for exampleː /n/ → /ŋ/ green /ɡriːn/ → green covers /ˈɡriːŋ ˈkʌvəz/ twin /twɪn/ → twin girls /ˈtwɪŋ ˈɡɜːlz/ Note that when /t/ assimilates, the resulting /p/ or /k/ are often glottally reinforced (see Section 4.5), e.g. [ˈweʔp ˈpeɪnt], [ˈʤeʔp ˈblæk], [ˈwaɪʔp ˈmaɪs], [ˈhɒʔk ˈkɒfiː], [ˈkwaɪʔk ˈɡʊd]. Alterna- tively, instead of assimilation /t/ may undergo glottal replacement (see Section 4.4), e.g. [ˈweʔ ˈpeɪnt], [ˈʤeʔ ˈblæk], [ˈwaɪʔ ˈmaɪs], [ˈhɒʔ ˈkɒfiː], [ˈkwaɪʔ ˈɡʊd]. 30.3 Place assimilation: /s z/ The alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ also frequently undergo assimilation. When they are followed by the voiceless palato-alveolar fricative /ʃ/, their place of articulation changes to palato-alveo- lar. This kind of assimilation can also occur before the voiced palato-alveolar fricative /ʒ/, but in practice it hardly ever happens because there are so few words beginning with /ʒ/. The voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ becomes its palato-alveolar equivalent, a voiceless palato- alveolar fricative /ʃ/, when the following sound is palato-alveolar /ʃ/, for example: /s/ → /ʃ/ this /ðɪs/ → this shop /ˈðɪʃ ˈʃɒp/ nice /naɪs/ → nice shoes /ˈnaɪʃ ˈʃuːz/ famous /ˈfeɪməs/ → a famous ship /ə ˈfeɪməʃ ˈʃɪp/ close /kləʊs/→ a close shave /ə ˈkləʊʃ ˈʃeɪv/ 152 Connected speech 2 The voiced alveolar fricative /z/ becomes its palato-alveolar equivalent, a voiced palato-alveolar fricative /ʒ/, when the following sound is palato-alveolar /ʃ/, for example: /z/ → /ʒ/ please /pliːz/ → please share /ˈpliːʒ ˈʃɛː/ cruise /kruːz/ → cruise ship /ˈkruːʒ ʃɪp/ these /ðiːz/ → these shorts /ˈðiːʒ ˈʃɔːts/ rise /raɪz/ → rise sharply /ˈraɪʒ ˈʃɑːpliː/ This kind of assimilation is particularly common before she in phrases such as is she /ɪʒ ʃiː/, was she /wəʒ ʃiː/, does she /dəʒ ʃiː/, has she /həʒ ʃiː/, as she /əʒ ʃiː/, because she /bɪˈkəʒ ʃiː/, etc. It’s also possible for /s/ to assimilate to /ʃ/, and /z/ to assimilate to /ʒ/, before /j/, especially with the words you and your, for example: /s/ → /ʃ/ I’ll miss you. /aɪl ˈmɪʃ juː/ Cross your fingers. /ˈkrɒʃ jɔː ˈfɪŋɡəz/ /z/ → /ʒ/ As you know. /əʒ juː ˈnəʊ/ Close your eyes. /ˈkləʊʒ jɔːr ˈaɪz/ 30.4 Perseverative place assimilation: /n/ Within words, when /ən/ follows the bilabial plosives /p b/ or the velar plosives /k ɡ/, the plosives can be released nasally (see Section 10.6), and the tongue remains in position, resulting in a syl- labic nasal at the same place of articulation, i.e. /m̩/ after /p b/, or /ŋ̍/ after /k ɡ/. For example: /ən/ → /m̩ / happen /ˈhæpm̩ / ribbon /ˈrɪbm̩ / /ən/ → /ŋ̍ / taken /ˈteɪkŋ̍ / pagan /ˈpeɪɡŋ̍ / The more frequent a word is, the more likely this assimilation is to occur, but the variant with /ən/ is still more usual. This is an example of perseverative assimilation, a sound assimilating under the influence of a preceding sound. 30.5 Place assimilation in word formation Assimilation can occur not only in connected speech but also when words are combined to form compounds, for example: /t/ → /p/ out /aʊt/ → output /ˈaʊppʊt/ foot /fʊt/ → football /ˈfʊpbɔːl/ flat /flæt/ → flatmate /ˈflæpmeɪt/ /d/ → /b/ wood /wʊd/ → woodpecker /ˈwʊbpekə/ card /kɑːd/ → cardboard /ˈkɑːbbɔːd/ trade /treɪd/ → trademark /ˈtreɪbmɑːk/ /n/ → /m/ pin /pɪn/ → pinpoint /ˈpɪmpɔɪnt/ rain /reɪn/ → rainbow /ˈreɪmbəʊ/ lawn /lɔːn/ → lawnmower /ˈlɔːmməʊə/  Connected speech 2 153 /t/ → /k/ short /ʃɔːt/ → shortcut /ˈʃɔːkkʌt/ shot /ʃɒt/ → shotgun /ˈʃɒkɡʌn/ /d/ → /ɡ/ broad /brɔːd/ → broadcast /ˈbrɔːɡkɑːst/ mud /mʌd/ → mudguard /ˈmʌɡɡɑːd/ /n/ → /ŋ/ pan /pæn/ → pancake /ˈpæŋkeɪk/ sun /sʌn/ → sunglasses /ˈsʌŋɡlɑːsɪz/ /s/ → /ʃ/ horse /hɔːs/ → horseshoe /ˈhɔːʃʃuː/ /z/ → /ʒ/ news /njuːz/ → newssheet /ˈnjuːʒʃiːt/ Assimilation can also occur when prefixes and suffixes are added to words, for example input /ˈɪmpʊt/, unpaid /ˌʌmˈpeɪd/, incorrect /ˌɪŋkəˈrekt/, unclear /ˌʌŋˈklɪə/, statement /ˈsteɪpmənt/, entertainment /ˌentəˈteɪmmənt/. 30.6 Voicing assimilation Voicing assimilation involves a change in the voicing of a consonant, either a voiceless con- sonant becoming voiced under the influence of a neighbouring voiced consonant or a voiced consonant becoming voiceless under the influence of a neighbouring voiceless consonant. English only has voicing assimilation of the type voiced-to-voiceless and only in a small number of common phrases. These are have to /ˈhæf tuː/, has to /ˈhæs tuː/ and had to /ˈhæt tuː/ when they mean ‘must’; used to /ˈjuːs tuː/ when it is used for the past or with the meaning ‘accustomed to’; and supposed to /səˈpəʊs tuː/ when it means ‘expected to’. Voiced-to-voiceless assimilation also occurs in the contractions of is and has (see Sections 25.1 and 25.2), for example, that is /ˈðæt ɪz/ → that’s /ðæts/, it has /ɪt həz/ → it’s /ɪts/. The assimilation in such cases is perseverative, the voiced /z/ changing to voiceless /s/ under the influence of the preceding voiceless sound. A small number of words have pronunciation variants brought about by voicing assimilation, namely width /wɪdθ/ or /wɪtθ/, breadth /bredθ/ or /bretθ/, amidst /əˈmɪdst/ or /əˈmɪtst/, hundredth /ˈhʌndrədθ/ or /ˈhʌndrətθ/, thousandth /ˈθaʊzn̩dθ/ or /ˈθaʊzn̩tθ/. 30.7 Manner assimilation: /ð/ Manner assimilation in English is restricted to the voiced dental fricative /ð/, which changes its manner of articulation to that of a preceding alveolar nasal /n/, alveolar lateral approximant /l/ or alveolar fricative /s/ or /z/. For example: /ð/ → /n/ It’s in the bin. /ɪts ɪn nə ˈbɪn/ And then it rained. /ən ˈnen ɪt ˈreɪnd/ /ð/ → /l/ Will they manage? /wɪl leɪ ˈmænɪʤ/ Although it’s sad. /ɔːlˈləʊ ɪts ˈsæd/ /ð/ → /s/ That’s the idea. /ˈðæts siː aɪˈdɪə/ What’s this? /ˈwɒts ˈsɪs/ /ð/ → /z/ Was the baby healthy? /wəz zə ˈbeɪbiː ˈhelθiː/ How’s that? /ˈhaʊz ˈzæt/ 154 Connected speech 2 This is an example of perseverative assimilation, a sound assimilating under the influence of a preceding sound. Note that in the case of /ð/ assimilating to /s/, there’s voicing assimilation (voiced-to-voiceless) in addition to manner assimilation. And when /ð/ assimilates to /n/ or /l/, the result can be either alveolar [n] and [l] or dental [n̪] and [l̪ ], e.g. in the [ɪn nə] or [ɪn̪ n̪ ə], all the [ɔːl lə] or [ɔːl̪ l̪ ə]. 30.8 Coalescent assimilation The assimilations we have looked at so far involve a phoneme changing into another phoneme under the influence of a neighbouring phoneme. In the case of coalescent assimilation, two pho- nemes influence each other and combine to form a third phoneme. The voiceless alveolar plosive /t/ combines with the voiced palatal approximant /j/ to form /ʧ/, for example: I know what you said. /aɪ ˈnəʊ wɒʧuː ˈsed/ Let your hair down. /ˈleʧɔː ˈhɛː ˈdaʊn/ He said that you did. /hiː ˈsed ðəʧuː ˈdɪd/ I’ve got your key. /aɪv ˈɡɒʧɔː ˈkiː/ Can’t your brother help? /ˈkɑːnʧɔː ˈbrʌðə ˈhelp/ Why don’t you go? /ˈwaɪ ˈdəʊnʧuː ˈɡəʊ/ Alternatively, in this context /t/ could be realised as a glottal stop, in which case coalescent assimilation wouldn’t occur, e.g. what you [wɒʔ juː], let your [ˈleʔ jɔː]. The voiced alveolar plosive /d/ combines with the voiced palatal approximant /j/ to form /ʤ/, for example: Did you see it? /dɪʤuː ˈsiː ɪt/ Could you wait? /kʊʤuː ˈweɪt/ You’ve made your mind up. /juːv ˈmeɪʤɔː ˈmaɪnd ˈʌp/ Would your brother try? /wʊʤɔː ˈbrʌðə ˈtraɪ/ He said you did. /hiː ˈseʤuː ˈdɪd/ I found your key. /aɪ ˈfaʊnʤɔː ˈkiː/ This is most common with you or your and is frequently heard in could you /kʊʤuː/, couldn’t you /ˈkʊdənʧuː/, did you /dɪʤuː/, didn’t you /ˈdɪdənʧuː/, etc. Coalescent assimilation can also occur when the alveolar fricatives /s/ and /z/ are followed by /j/, resulting in /ʃ/ and /ʒ/, for example: /s/ + /j/ → /ʃ/ I’ll miss you. /aɪl ˈmɪʃuː/ Cross your fingers. /ˈkrɒʃɔː ˈfɪŋɡəz/ /z/ + /j/ → /ʒ/ As you know. /əʒuː ˈnəʊ/ Close your eyes. /ˈkləʊʒɔːr ˈaɪz/ See Section 30.3 for a different kind of assimilation involving /s/ + /j/ and /z/ + /j/.