Understanding English Variation Connected Speech Processes What are connected speech processes? Connected speech processes are changes in the pronunciation of words when they are in a sentence. So far, we have only really considered the sounds of words in isolation but today we will consider what happens when words are joined together to make sentences. Each type of change has a different name. We will consider assimilation, elision.

Elision Elision is the loss of a phoneme. In technical language we say that the phoneme is deleted or is realised as zero. Elision occurs more in fast casual speech, thus elision is a process of gradation. There are many examples of elision in English, a few are given below. Example:  Loss of a weak vowel after voiceless plosives (p, t, k) Potato (schwa is lost, p is aspirated)  Avoidance of complex clusters George the sixths throne  Loss of final v in ‘of’ before consonants Lots of them

Assimilation Sounds that belong to one word can cause changes in sounds belonging to other words. When a word’s pronunciation is affected by sounds in a neighbouring word, we call this process assimilation. We find that sounds in the affected word become more like sounds in the neighbouring word. The two sounds can become more alike in terms of voice, place or manner. Assimilation occurs when speech is rapid and casual.. Direction of change If a phoneme is affected by one than comes later in the sentence, the assimilation is termed regressive. If a phoneme is affected by one that came earlier in the utterance, the assimilation is termed progressive. progressiv e regressive Phoneme 1 Phoneme 2

Assimilation of voice Across word boundaries In English, only regressive assimilation is found across word boundaries and then only when a voiced word final consonant is followed by a voiceless word initial consonant. Example: big cat

Across morpheme boundaries When a noun is pluralised by adding a suffix the pronunciation of the depends on the voicing of the final consonant of that noun. If the final consonant is voiced, the suffix will be pronounced as [z], if the final consonant is voiceless, the suffix will be pronounced as [s]. As an earlier consonant affects a later one, this is an example of progressive assimilation. This process is fixed in English as there are hardly any exceptions. Examples: Cats voiceless final consonant and suffix Dogs voiced final consonant and suffix

Assimilation of Place Across word boundaries In English, assimilation of place only occurs regressively across word boundaries and only with the alveolar consonants (including clusters of alveloars). Examples: That personfinal alveolar changes to bilabial That thingfinal alveolar changes to dental Examples: This shoe (regressive) Those years (regressive)

Assimilation of manner Assimilation of manner is only found in very fast casual speech. In general speakers change sounds to sounds that are ‘easier’, those that obstruct the airflow less and therefore require less energy. Examples:  Good night  a final plosive becomes a nasal (regressive)  That side  a final plosive becomes a fricative (regressive) 

Coalescence Coalescence is a special type of assimilation process. In coalescence, the process of assimilation is bi-directional and two segments combine to produce one. In English this often happens when an alveolar plosive is followed by a palatal approximant (j) and they combine to form a palato-alveolar affricate. Example: Did you :

Linking r You will remember that for speakers of non-rhotic accents r is not pronounced after vowels. However, in these accents, when words that are spelled ending with an or an come before a word beginning with a vowel, the r is usually pronounced. This is linking r. In rhotic accents the r is also pronounced when the words are in isolation so cannot be termed linking. Examples: Far away More ice

Intrusive r Intrusive r also involves the pronunciation of an r sound, but this time there is no justification from the spelling as the word’s spelling does not end in or. Again this relates to non-rhotic accents; rhotic accents do not have intrusive r. The idea of it