“WEAK FORMS” - an essential feature of English pronunciation - ə - ɪ - ʊ By Prof. Ortiz Lira

Reasons for learning Weak Forms: - Improve your listening skill especially to understand native speakers. - Improve your speaking skill. If you want to speak naturally you should pronounce weak forms correctly. - Failure on weak forms will affect your English rhythm. - You will avoid misunderstandings. What are WEAK FORMS? Weak forms are structural or function words in a usual pronunciation and when the word is unstressed. Weak forms words are often words like articles (“a” or “an”), prepositions (“to,” “for”), conjunctions, pronouns or auxiliary verbs (like “have” or “are”). Example: Strong form of are: / ɑː / Weak form of are / ə /

Principles of Weak Forms When to use or not to use weak forms? Take into account: - ACCENT: weak form words are never accented in an utterance. - STRANDING: weak or strong form pronunciation may depend on wheter the weak-form word/s are exposed or not as a result of grammatical movement. - PHONETIC ENVIRONMENT: If the weak-form word is followed by a vowel or a consonant – A pause influences weak-form words beginning with /h/ and it cannot be dropped inmediately after the pause..

Principles of Weak Forms -Weak forms prepositions and auxiliary verbs are not used before grammatical boundaries. -Some weak-forms are unnecessary because they signal very informal, regional or unusual pronunciations. -A weak form usually contains a weak vowel mainly/ ə /, sometimes / ɪ / and / ʊ / - but, in some cases, no vowel. -Ex: come and kiss me | ‘kʌm ən kɪs mi | -Ex: bread and butter | ‘bred n ˈbʌtə |

Inventory of weak-form words  ARTICLES AND ADJECTIVAL WORDS: a, an, the, some, his, her  CONJUNCTIONS: and, as, but, than, that  PREPOSITIONS: at, for, from, of, to  AUXILIARY AND MODAL VERBS: am, is, are, was, were, have, has, had, do, does, must, would, can, will, shall  PRONOUNS: he, him, her, us, them, there

References: Ortíz, Héctor. May 2008 “The 37 essential weak-form words”. Phonetics and Phonology and its didactics II – UNIT 2 and 3 – Lenguas Vivas Bariloche 0and%20exercises/weak%20forms%20audio/i ntroandpreps/weak_forms.htm 0and%20exercises/weak%20forms%20audio/i ntroandpreps/weak_forms.htm