Aspects of Connected Speech 2024 PDF

E N G L I S H P H O N E T I C S & P H O N O LO G Y Nguyen Thanh Loan ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH ED - HANU CONNECTED SPEECH In spoken discourse, words aren’t pronounced in an isolated fashion within the stream of speech, instead, they “run together.” Citation styl...

E N G L I S H P H O N E T I C S & P H O N O LO G Y Nguyen Thanh Loan ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH ED - HANU CONNECTED SPEECH In spoken discourse, words aren’t pronounced in an isolated fashion within the stream of speech, instead, they “run together.” Citation style of speech (Citation form): words are pronounced in a slow, careful manner à the style of speech you use to show someone how to pronounce a word. Connected speech: the style that used in normal conversation. Word Citation form Connected speech white pepper /ˈwaɪt ˈpeɪpə/ /ˈwaɪpeɪpə/ All languages modify complicated sequences in connected speech to simplify the articulation process, in different ways. Most native speakers aren’t aware of such simplification processes. Human beings speak rhythmically. They engage in the act of speaking by putting regular beats in the speech signal. (Carr, 2013) In most varieties of English, it is not necessary to place a beat on every single syllable. English has stress-timed rhythm, which means “the rhythmic beats fall only on stressed syllables”. Other languages have syllable-timed rhythm (e.g.: Vietnamese, Thai). CONSIDER THESE TWO SENTENCES Walk down the path to the end of the canal. Đi dọc con đường đến cuối con kênh. WEAK FORMS Words are divided into 2 types: ­ Lexical (content) words (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc.) à open class ­ Function (grammatical) words (pronoun, preposition, conjunction, etc.) à closed class. In connected speech, lexical words tend to be uttered in STRONG form, while function words are in WEAK form. e.g.: I’m fond of chips /aɪm ˈfɒnd ə ˈtʃɪps/ ASPECTS OF CONNECTED SPEECH Some aspects (simplification processes) in connected speech include: - Assimilation - Elision - Linking (Liaison) These processes can occur within word or across word boundaries. Notes: ØAspects of connected speech are typical of fast and casual speech. ØProducing them is NOT a must for foreigners. ØBeing aware of them is more important. ASSIMILATION There are different definitions for assimilation: ­ Assimilation is what happens to a sound when it is influenced by one of its neighbours (Roach, 2011) ­ Adjacent sounds often influence each other so that they become more alike, or assimilate (Crystal, 2019). ­ Assimilation is a process whereby phonemes take on the phonetic character of neighboring sounds. (Small, 2020) Assimilation can be ­ regressive (a sound influenced by the following sound) ­ progressive (a sound influenced by the preceding sound) ­ coalescent (a reciprocal influence, where two sounds fuse into a single new segment). ASSIMILATION ­ Assimilation of place of articulation à most common! ­ Assimilation of manner of articulation ­ Assimilation of both place and manner of articulation ­ Assimilation of manner of voicing good bye good morning in Paris ASSIMILATION Does assimilation happen to FAST, CASUAL SPEECH or SLOW, CAREFUL SPEECH??? Does assimilation affect VOWELS or CONSONANTS??? REGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION Regressive assimilation is one form of assimilation that occurs when the identity of a phoneme is modified due to a phoneme following it. Also known as Anticipatory/Right-to-left assimilation. E.g.: good morning /ɡʊd ˈmɔːnɪŋ/ → / ɡʊb ˈmɔːnɪŋ / broadcast /ˈbrɔːdkɑːst/ on call red kite Explanation: Many of the assimilations brought about by phonetic environment are seen as a change in the place of articulation of a particular phoneme. Most of these assimilations are regressive; the phonemes become similar in place of articulation to later-occurring phonemes. Take a look back at the example: red kite /ˈreg ˈkaɪt/ Common patterns for regressive assimilation Assimila'on of voicing : e.g.: cheese /tʃi:z/ But in cheesecake / tʃi:skeɪk/ Can you explain why? Prefix in- + adjective in- + legal = illegal in- + polite = impolite in- + direct = indirect in- + relevant = irrelevant in- + correct = iŋcorrect PRACTICE inkpot good concert Painkiller Proud parents PROGRESSIVE ASSIMILATION Progressive assimilation occurs when a phoneme's identity changes as the result of a phoneme preceding it in time. Also known as Perseverative/Left-to-right assimilation. Notable example of Progressive assimilation is when initial /ð/ in unstressed words, esp. the becomes /n l s z/ if it follows /n l s z/. E.g.: ­ on the house /ɒn ðә 'haʊs/ à /ɒn nә 'haʊs/ ­ all the time /ɔːl ðə ˈtaɪm/ à ­ what’s the matter? /ˈwɒts ðə ˈmætə/ à The pronunciation of –s ending in English: RECIPROCAL ASSIMILATION In many cases, two successive consonants affect each other. In other words, two sounds fuse into a single new segment. Also known as coalescence/ coalescent assimila