Aspects of connected speech

Rhythm
Syllable-timed rhythm Stressed-timed rhythm

Rhythm
Definition: Stress-timed rhythm is speech rhythm in which the stressed syllable are said to recur at equal intervals of time. Eg. One day last week I went for a walk in the country.

Rhythm
Rhythm unit / foot: from a stressed syllable up to the following stressed syllable

Rhythm
Eg. ||Yes/ter/day I |saw/ him /in /the
|ci/ne/ma||.

Assimilation
Definition. Types of assimilation Rules of assimilation

Assimilation
Definition: (1) When a speech sound changes and become more like another sound which follows it or precedes it, this is called assimilation.

Assimilation
Definition: (2) In connected speech, adjacent sounds frequently influence each other so that they become more alike, or assimilate. This is called assimilation.

Types of assimilation
Regressive / anticipatory: Eg. White coat : /t/ /k/ Progressive: Eg. Books : / s / dogs : /z/

Rules of assimilation
Assimilation of place Assimilation of manner Assimilation of voice

Assimilation of place
Final alveolar/t/ + becomes bilabial /p/ before bilabials: eg. That man : /t/ /p/ Light blue : /t/ /p/ + becomes dental before dentals eg. Get there: /t/ dentalised + becomes velar /k/ before velars eg. That car : /t/ /k/ that girl : /t/ /k/

Assimilation of place
Final alveolar/d/ + becomes bilabial /b/ before bilabials eg. Good morning : /d/ /b/ + becomes dental before dentals eg. Dead thief : /d/ dentalised + becomes velar /g/ before velars eg. Bad cold : /d/ in bad /g/

Assimilation of place
Final alveolar /n/: + becomes bilabial /m/ before bilabials eg. Ten bags : /n/ /m/ + becomes dental before dentals eg. Main thing : /n/ /m/ + becomes velar // before dentals eg. Ten cars : /n/ / /

Assimilation of place
Final alveolar /s/ becomes // and /z/ becomes // before // or /j/ eg. This shop : /s/ these years : /z/

Assimilation of manner

Final plosive becomes a fricative or a nasal eg. That song : /t/ /s/ bad news : /d/ /n/

Assimilation of voice
Final voiced consonants have no voicing when followed by initial voiceless consonants. Eg. /v/ in have /f/ in have to /z/ in has /s/ in has to

Elision
Definition Types of elision

Elision

Definition: elision is the leaving out / disappearance of sounds or sounds in rapid speech.

Types of elision
Disappearance of consonant Disappearance of vowel

Disappearance of consonant
Disappearance of final /t/ in the cluster/st/ before an initial stop, nasal or fricative eg. best dish : /t/ disappears best friend : /t/ disappears first night : /t/ in first disappears west side : /t/ disappears

Disappearance of consonant
Disappearance of final /d/ in cluster /md/ or /nd/ before an initial weak stop or nasal eg. Blind man : /d/ disappears It seemed good : /d/ in seemed disappears

Disappearance of consonant
Avoidance of complex consonant clusters: + In clusters with 3 plosives or 2 plosive + 1 fricative, the middle plosives disappears Eg. Acts : /t/ disappears looked back : /t/ disappears + final consonant cluster of a word disappears if it is identical to initial cluster of the following. Eg. Next street : /st/ in /nekst/ disappears

Disappearance of consonant
Disappearance of /v/ in of before consonants: Eg. Full of children : /v/ in of disappears waste of money : /v/ in of disappears

Disappearance of vowel
Disappearance of weak vowel after /p,t,k/: Eg. Potato : / / disappears today : / / disappears

Linking
Linking identical consonants Eg. This side : identical /s/ bad day : identical /d/ Linking /r/ before initial vowels Eg. Here are four eggs /r/ in here and four pronounced Intrusive /r/ eg. Law and order: /r/ pronounced after law