Descriptive Grammar of English Part 1: Phonetics and Phonology dr Iwona Kokorniak (with contribution from dr Jarosław Weckwerth) 4th January 2009

2 English assimilation  Alveolar plosive and nasal sounds (t d n)  Change their place of articulation  To that of the following sound – velar or bilabial

3 English assimilation: alveolar plosive  /t/ > /p/ before /p, b, m/ e.g.:  that person  sat boldly  fat mouse

4 English assimilation: alveolar plosive  /t/ > /k/ before /k, g/ e.g.:  fat king  smart girl

5 English assimilation: alveolar plosive  /d/ > /b/ before /p, b, m/ e.g.:  bad person  bad boy  bad mother

6 English assimilation: alveolar plosive  /d/ > /g/ before /k, g/ e.g.:  bad king  bad girl

7 English assimilation: alveolar nasal  /n/ > /m/ before /p, b, m/ e.g.:  sun bed  sun protector  sun movement

8 English assimilation: alveolar nasal  /n/ > /ŋ/ before /k, g/ e.g.:  run quickly  run gracefully

9 English assimilation: fricatives  Alveolar fricatives /s z/ can change only to post-alveolar fricatives  /s z/ >/ ʃ ʒ /  But no change in voicing!!!  /s/ > /∫/ before /∫, t∫, d, j/  /z/ > / ʒ / before /∫, t∫, d, j/

10 English assimilation: fricatives  /s/ > /∫/ before /∫, t∫, d, j /  E.g. this church  /z/ > / ʒ / before /∫, t∫, d,j/  E.g. these churches

11 Alv. fricative place assimilation this shoe ð ɪ s ʃ u:  ð ɪʃ ʃ u: only if a post-alv. fricative on the right

12 English assimilation: summary  It is an optional process  In connected speech  More frequent in less formal situations  One of phonostylistic processes

13 A special case would you? w ʊ d ju w ʊ d ʒ ju wʊdʒuwʊdʒu place assimilation (?) coalescence

14 Coalescence  Alveolar plosive or fricative  Followed by /j/  1st step: post-alveolar affricate or fricative, /j/ stays  2nd step: /j/ disappears

15 Coalescent assimilation  Frequent phrases with you: what you, could you, did you  But may also occur with other cases of /j/ this year, bad Europe, is young, what use, etc. etc.

16 Other assimilations: manner  Assimilation of manner  Only in really fast speech in the ɪ nðə  ɪ nnə

17 Other assimilations: manner  Usually affects /ð/ in unstressed words  An example of progressive = perserverative assimilation (left to right)

18 Other assimilations: voice  Very rare in English  Only for a few fixed phrases have to, of course

19 Other assimilations: voice ' hæv tə  ' hæftə əv ' k ɔː rs  əf ' k ɔː rs

20 Elision = deletion  Another phonostylistic process  Sounds are elided = deleted

21 Elision  Alveolar plosive /t d/ elision  The most frequent  Quite similar to Polish

22 Alv. plosive elision  An alv. plosive may be deleted At the end of a syllable After a consonant of the same voicing If another consonant follows (but not /h/ )

23 Alveolar plosive elision  In other words, elision is common when:  a voiceless continuant + /t/ followed by a word with an initial consonant  /st, ft, ∫t/ + consonant  e.g.: ‘ next day ’, ‘ just one ’,

24 Alveolar plosive elision  a voiced continuant + /d/ followed by a word with an initial consonant  /nd, ld, zd, ðd, vd/ + consonant  e.g.: ‘ bend back ’

25 Alveolar plosive elision  word final clusters  voiceless stop/affricate +/t/: /pt, kt, t∫t/  voiced stop/affricate +/d/: /bd, gd/  may lose the final alveolar stop  when the following word has an initial consonant,  e.g. ‘ helped me ’, lagged behind ’, ‘ judged fairly ’

26 /h/ elision  the loss of /h/ in pronominal weak forms  e.g. ‘ him, his ’ and other consonantal elisions typical of weak forms  auxiliary ‘have’: could have

27 /h/ elision

28 Elision of /ə/  weak vowels are dropped in casual speech, especially /ə/  initial /ə/ is often elided  particularly when followed by a continuant and preceded by a word- final consonant  e.g. ‘ not alone ’ [not `ləυn], ‘ he was annoyed ’

29 Elision of /ə/  When final /ə/ occurs with following linking /r/ and word initial vowel, /ə/ may be elided, e.g.  ‘ father and son ’

30 Elision of /ə/  When a weak vowel precedes /w, l, r/ then the vowel is deleted and the next consonant will become syllabic.am

31 A good source  Maidment, J. and Garcia Lecumberri, M.L.: English transcription course

32 Another good source  Notes on pronunciation and phonetics in Wells’ and Jones’ dictionaries

33 Yet another good source  Collins, B. and Mees, I. Practical phonetics and phonology  ‘The surprises of connected speech’

34 Connected speech  Assimilation and elision are phonostylistic processes  Because they depend on the style of speaking  Formal vs. informal, slow vs. fast  (But remember: voicing assimilation in Polish is obligatory)

35 Connected speech  But there are also other processes in connected speech  E.g. linking and intrusive R (examples of liaison)  And weak forms

36 Rhoticity  Standard British English, Australian, New Zealand etc. are non-rhotic  /r/ pronounced only before a vowel

37 All varieties right /ra ɪ t/ pride /pra ɪ d/ bury / ' beri/

38 Non-rhotic varieties car /k ɑː / stored /st ɔː d/ word /w ɜː d/

39 Liaison – Linking R  British English – a non-rhotic variety  It retains word-final post-vocalic /r/ as a linking form  when the following word begins with a vowel and where ‘ r ’ occurs in the spelling  Thus, spelling justification needed for linking /r/

40 Linking R far out /f ɑː r a ʊ t/ 4-8 /f ɔː r e ɪ t/

41 Intrusive R  By analogy to linking R... ...in non-rhotic varieties only  /r/ may be pronounced if / ɑː ɜː ɔː ə/  are followed by a vowel

42 Intrusive R  there is no spelling justification for /r/ to appear law and order /l ɔː r ənd ɔː də/

43 Intrusive R a spa in the UK /sp ɑː r ɪ n/ drawing /dr ɔː r ɪ ŋ/ the idea is /a ɪ d ɪ ər ɪ z/

44 Linking J  In vocalic junctures - where the first word ends in / i: ı eı aı oı/  another word starts with a vowel  a slight linking / j / may be heard between two vowels, e. g. my arms

45 Linking J: Zoom

46 Linking J  not sufficient to be equated with phonemic /j/, e.g. ‘ my ears ’ vs. my years

47 Linking W  linking [ w ] may be heard between a final /u: υə aυ/ and a following vowel  e.g. ’ two-eyed ’, ’ too wide ’

48 Casual speech processes  Assimilation Regressive vs. Progressive Of place of articulation vs. Manner or art. Vs. voicing  Elision  Liaison

49 Weak forms  Consider the ‘theoretical’ form  This book is for John ð ɪ s b ʊ k ɪ z f ɔː d ʒɒ n  Actually, in connected speech ð ɪ s b ʊ ks fə d ʒɒ n

50 Weak forms ð ɪ s b ʊ ks fə d ʒɒ n  This may sometimes (but not always!) be reflected in the spelling:  This book’s for John

51 Weak forms  In normal speech... ...function words... ...appear practically always... ...in their weak forms

52 Function words?  Articles  Prepositions  Pronouns  Modal & auxiliary verbs

53 Weak forms aeɪəaeɪə  anænən  Strong You say a book, but an apple.  Weak I swallowed a fly. An alligator bit him.

54 Weak forms the ði:ðə, ði Are you the William Shakespeare. The tiger ate the hunter.

55 Weak forms  and ændənd, ən, n Trifle or jelly? Ttrifle and jelly, please! Bread an(d) butter.

56 Weak forms  for f ɔː || f ɔː rfə || f ə r What did you do that for? I’m doing it for fun.

57 Weak forms  he hi:hi, i  him h ɪ m ɪ m  his h ɪ z ɪ z  her h ɜ : ||h ɝ : hə, ə || h ə r, ə r

58 Weak forms  have hævhəv, əv, v  had hædhəd, əd, d  can kænkən  do du:də, du

59 Weak forms  Easier to say where they are not used – exceptions:

60 Weak forms not used 1. When the word is stressed or ‘cited’  I said Tom AND Ann rather than Tom OR Ann.  How is the word ‘FOR’ spelt?

61 Weak forms not used 2. When at the end of a sentence or phrase (‘stranded’)  What are you looking at?  I know I can.

62 Weak forms not used 3. Usually, prepositions before pronouns at ends of sentences  I was looking for you.  Stop staring at him.

63 Weak forms not used 4. When the word is used as a ‘full’, meaningful, ‘lexical’ form  I usually have lunch at one.  We have to go.  He never does his homework.

64 Weak forms – Special cases  Negative contractions: No weak forms don’t də ʊ nt || do ʊ nt couldn’t k ʊ d ə nt won’t wə ʊ nt || wo ʊ nt can’t k ɑː nt || kænt wasn’t w ɒ z ə nt || w ɑː z ə nt

65 Weak forms – Special cases aren’t ɑː nt || ɑː rnt =aunt

66 Weak forms – Special cases the, to, do, you  Different forms before vowels the applethe man ði æp ə lðə mæn to ask to go tu ɑː sk tə go ʊ

67 Weak forms – Special cases have  Only weak when used as a modal/auxiliary verb  I have done it /a ɪ v/  I have lunch at ten /hæv/

68 Weak forms – Special cases there’s (=there is, there has)  Weakest form: ðəz || ð ə rz

69 Weak forms – Special cases that  Only weak when used as a conjunction  I know that you... /ðət/ ( the relative pronoun)  I know that! /ðæt/ ( the demonstrative ‘ that ’ )

70 Weak forms – Special cases  Some weak forms may have a special representation in the spelling (‘contraction’)  But even if it’s not used, a weak form may be employed

71 Weak forms – Special cases  Sometimes weak forms of different words are the same I’d = I had or I would I’d done it. I’d do it.

72 Weak forms – Special cases it’s = it is or it has It’s been nice. It’s nice.

73 Weak forms – Special cases  Even if they’re spelt differently, the sound may be the same: That’s a car /ðætsək ɑː / That’s her car /ðætsək ɑː /

74 Weak forms – Spelling traps  He must of been here ???  Quite a frequent error among native speakers because: /m ʌ stəv/ must of = must have

75 Weak forms – Traps  Some words that look as if they must have a weak form  Do not have one: I, your, by, my, nor, or, so, when, one, up, off, on, then mine, yours, hers, theirs

76 Weak forms – Extreme  gonna ‘citation’ form: gə ʊɪ ŋ tə assimilation: gə ʊɪ ntə smoothing: gə ɪ ntə elision: gənə

77 Weak forms  Result from Elisions Assimilations Vowel reductions

78 Weak forms ɪ t ɪ z  ɪ ts Elision of / ɪ / Progressive voice assimilation

79 Weak forms ænd  ənd Vowel reduction ənd  ən Elision

80 Weak forms h ɪ m  ɪ m Elision kæn  kən Vowel reduction

81 Reduced vowels  Notice: most of the time, English has reduced vowels in unstressed syllables  The so-called schwa is the most important one  A mid central vowel

82 The schwa ə Polish / ɨ / Polish / ɛ / Polish /a/

83 The schwa  It is different from any Polish vowel!  Polish does not have reduced vowels

84 Other unstressed vowels /ɪ//ɪ/  In many unstressed syllables with  E.g. houses, wanted, record, detect, effect  Conservative variant in sickness, private, careless

85 Other unstressed vowels /i/ , e.g. happy, lucky  before another vowel e.g. radiate / ' re ɪ die ɪ t/

86 Other unstressed vowels /i/  Like FLEECE but usually not as long  May be between FLEECE and KIT

87 Other unstressed vowels /u/  before another vowel e.g. influence / ' ɪ nfluəns/

88 Other unstressed vowels /u/  Like GOOSE but usually not as long  May be between GOOSE and FOOT

89 Connected speech  You can’t go with us ju: k ɑ :nt gə ʊ w ɪ ð ʌ s jə k ɑ :ŋk gə ʊ w ɪ ð əs k ɑ :ŋ gə ʊ

90 Connected speech  Ten past ten ten pæst ten tem pæs ten

91 Connected speech  I can buy it a ɪ kən ba ɪ ɪ t a ɪ kəm ba ɪ ɪ t

92 Connected speech  do you think du: ju: θ ɪ ŋk də jə θ ɪ ŋk d ʒ ə θ ɪ ŋk

93 Connected speech  we should go wi: ʃʊ d go ʊ wi ʃʊ g go ʊ