Weak forms, strong forms

I can! She has! He was! I can leave! She has decided ! He was afraid

I decided to wait at the corner of the street for the girl from Ipanema

I can see John was trying. John has been trying too long. He must try better He must have been trying

I can see John was trying. John has been trying too long. He must try better He must have been trying

I think he knows I think she knows I think we know I’ll be there I’ve been robbed

Words which change before a word beginning with a vowel 1 be, he, she I’ll be there – I’ll be early Does he drink? Does he agree?

Words which change before a word beginning with a vowel 2 do, to, you What do they want? What do Amricans want? Give it to Mary – give it to Arthur Did you make it? – Did you eat it?

Words which change before a word beginning with a vowel 3 for, her, are, were for me – for all of us her mother – her aunt What are they doing – what are all the children doing

foregrounding Mary has seen him before Mary has seen hm before

comparative stress This train isn’t coming from London, it’s going to London

evasion of repetition (deaccenting) Government of the people, buy the people, for the people City life is great, as long as you don’t actually live in the city

citation forms How do you spell the word “than”?

Prepositions and auxiliary verbs are strong at the end of utterances I come from Brighton – Brighton’s where I come from Do you want to come I’m not sure I want to

Prepositions and auxiliary verbs are strong at the end of utterances - but pronouns remain weak I don’t want to see him I don’t want to see her I don’t want to see them

(c) Different grammatical function that: weak when relative (complementizer), strong when a determiner that’s the man that I saw He said that that was the man he saw

(c) Different grammatical function some – weak when an indefinite deteriminer, strong when adjectival There are some people waiting to see you Some of them are drunk Some party this is!

(c) Different grammatical function Verbs which can be either main or lexical (strong forms) or auxiliary (weak forms) Jean has found it Jean has the answer Does Paul agree? Paul does his duty

Structural words beginnng with h- drop the h when weak I gave her the letter I gave him the letter Toby went to see his mother

Structural words beginnng with h- drop the h when weak – but usually retain it at the beginning of a sentence His mother was glad to see him Her answer was quite definite

Structural words beginnng with h- drop the h when weak – but usually retain it at the beginning of a sentence Adam has lost it What have you done with the evidence?

If the dropped h leads to V-V, it may reappear, or lead to r-insertion I tried to give her his letter Tessa has lost it

H-dropping does not occur on lexical words in RP English! Harry hurt his head Nor does it occur on stressed structural words He hurt his head, not not hers But some lexical words are spelled with a “silent” h – honest, hour --- hotel? herb?

Mary and Bruce and quicker than me but slower than you

am is are was were have has had does did can will must I think I can do it Jane will have finished by now When does she leave work?

We must get some more What was I saying Where were the children

That’s not what i said That isn’t what I said You can’t do that

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The first 2 columns show whether the word takes 0 or i when it is weak. If it takes final this should be regarded as the 'happY' vowel, i.e. it may be tensed to, especially if it is followed by a vowel in the next word - look in column 4. Column 3 shows forms which lose their initial h except at the beginnings of utterances

Columns 4-8 show words which change before vowels, and the changes concerned. An arrow means "becomes". Column 6 applies only to non-rhotic accents; the rhotic accents will always have a final -r in these words. Also, many American accents do not change to as in column 5. Columns 7 and 8 only concern the words the and a (an). The change in the before vowels does not take place in many American accents. Finally, column 9 shows those words which retain their STRONG vowel at the end of utterances, BUT REMAIN UNSTRESSED.