Modifications of sounds in connected speech

1. Assimilation

2. Elision

3. Vowel reduction

4. Accommodation

As it is known the complete articulation of a speech sound when said in isolation consists of three stages:

1. On-glide, during which the articulating organs move to the position necessary for the articulation of a sound.

2. Holed stage, during which the articulating organs are kept in the position for a certain period of time.

3. Off-glide, during which the articulating organs return to the position of rest.

Actually, speech sounds are seldom said by themselves, they are used in combination with other sounds in connected speech. Speech sounds influence each other in the flow speech (поток речи), normally in the process of speech the articulatory organs are moving continuously and the sounds merge into one another. Often these 3 stages of articulation are not preserved (не сохраняются). The off-glide of the preceding sounds serves as the on-glide of the following sound.

Locked – [lokt]

The 3^d stage of the consonant [k] merges into the 1^st stage of [t] sound. So the consonant [k] has the 1^st and the 2^nd stages, while the consonant [t] has only the 2^st and the 3^nd stages.

So, in connected speech the sounds are subjected (подвергаются) to 2 main types of influence line – the reciprocal influence of neighbouring sounds and the influence by larger speech units and their elements.

Thus the 1^st group of processes is called the combinative changes, the 2^nd group – the positional changes. As a result of mutual interaction in connected speech there are a number of phonetic processes such as: assimilation, elision, vowel reduction and accommodation.

Assimilation is a process of alteration of speech sounds as a result of which one of the sounds becomes fully or partially similar to the adjoining sounds. By the way assimilation exists in every language. There are several types of assimilation. They can be distinguished according to:

1. Direction

The influence of the neighbouring sounds in English can act in a regressive and reciprocal direction. When some articulatory features of the following sound are changed under the influence of the preceding sound, which remains unchanged. Assimilation is called progressive.

1. The pronunciation of the plural suffix “s” depends on the quality of the preceding consonant [z], [s], [iz]

Dog – dogs

2. Within the words “sandwich”, “grandmother” under the influence of [n] sound the consonant [d] changes into [n] and then disappears

Sandwich – [snwit]

Grandmother – [grnm]

But when the following sound influences the articulation of the preceding one assimilation is called regressive.

At them – [t em]

The alveolar [n] and [t] become dental before the interdental [], []. [t] undergoes regressive assimilation to [n] which follows it.

On the table

This type of assimilation is common in Russian, too.

абсолютно

в кино

субпродукт

Reciprocal assimilation means complex mutual influence of the adjoining sound.

Tree

The sonorant [r] is partially devoiced under the influence of the voiceless [t]. And the alveolar [t] becomes past-alveolar before [r].

Try

Tram

Trace

2. Degree of completeness

According to its degree assimilation can be complete and incomplete (partial). Assimilation is called complete if two adjoining sounds become alike or merge into one. It always takes place when two sounds differ only in one articulatory feature. We find cases of complete assimilation within words and at the word junction but in fluent speech.

Cupboard – [kbd]

Horseshoe – [h:su:]

Less shy

By the way complete assimilation is also found in Russian.

Отделать

Отдать

Сжать

Без сил

Брат друга

Assimilation is called incomplete when the likeness of the adjoining sounds is partial as the assimilated sound remains its major articulatory features.

[w,v,l] are partly devoiced when precedes by the voiceless [p,t,k,s,f,]

Sweet – [swi:t]

Place – [pleis]

Try – [trαi]

3. Degree of stability

Many assimilatory phenomena of older stages in the development of language have become obligatory. Such changes which have taken place over a period of times within words are called historical.

Orchard (фруктовый сад) – [:td]

Originally it was pronounced [:djd]

Besides there are a lot of widely spread non-obligatory uses of assimilation, which can be traced mainly at word boundaries.

Ten minutes – [tem minits]

Light coat – [lαik kt]

Has she – [he i]

Didn’t you

Could you

Non-obligatory assimilation are characteristic of fluent spontaneous informal or careless speech and surely should be avoided by teachers.

Elision – loss of a sound. Reduction of some consonant clusters was established long ago.

1. The initial (начальная) [w,k,g] may be dropped

Write

Know

Gnat

Knit

2. The medial sounds are dropped [t,d] in a cluster of three consonants

Listen – [lisn]

Often – [fn]

Wednesday

3. The final [b] is dropped in the cluster [mb]

Lamb – [lm]

Dump – [dm]

In the present day English the reduction of clusters continuous to take place.