The Reduction of Consonant Clusters (Elision)

Elision or complete loss of sounds, both vowels and consonants, is often observed in English. Elision is likely to be minimal in slow careful speech and maximal in rapid relaxed colloquial forms of speech. The reduction of some consonant clusters was established long ago.

1. The initial [w, k, g] may be dropped, e.g. write [raɪt], know [nɜʊ], gnat [næt].

2. The medial [t] or [d] are dropped in a cluster of three con­sonants, e.g. listen ['lɪsn], soften ['sɒfn], Wednesday ['wenzdɪ].

3. The final [b] is dropped in the cluster [mb], e.g. lamb [læm], dumb [dʌm].

In other cases of recent formation the elided forms are typical only of rapid colloquial speech. In the following examples the elided sound is still pronounced in careful, precise speech, e.g.  often [ɒfn] or ['ɒftən].

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

The plosives [t] or [d] in the clusters [-st, -ft, -ʃt, -nd, -ld, -zd, -ðd, -vd] in final position when followed by a word with an initial consonant are often reduced in rapid speech, e.g. last time ['ɑ:s 'taɪm], mashed potatoes ['mæʃ рə'teɪtɜʊz], next day ['neks 'deɪ], old man [ɜʊ1 'mæn].

Word final clusters of plosives or affricates + [t] or [d] [-pt, -kt, -ʧt, -bd, -gd, -dჳd] may lose the final alveolar plosive when the following word begins with a consonant, e.g. kept quiet ['kep 'kwaət], lagged behind ['læg bɪ'haɪnd]. The alveolar [t] of the negative -n't is often reduced before a consonant, e.g. You mustn't do it [ju  →mʌsn _\du: ɪt]. When [t] or [d] occur between two other plosives they are never heard, e.g. locked gate ['lɒk 'geɪt], strict teacher ['strɪk 'ti:ʧə].

[h] may be dropped in the following monosyllables when non-initial and unstressed: have, has, had; he, him, his, her; who, e.g.

Tell him he is wanted [→tel ɪm ɪz _\wɒntɪd] but: He’s wanted [hiz _\wɒnted]

The reduction of consonant clusters is also typical of Russian colloquial speech, e.g. сердце, солнце, поздно, чувствовать.

Non-Obligatory Assimilation of Fluent Colloquial Speech

Accidental or positional assimilations at word boundaries are made by English people in rapid colloquial speech. The alveolar consonants, [t, d, n, s, z] in word final position often assimilate to the place of articulation of the following word initial consonant.

Before [p, b, m] the consonant [t] changes into [p], e.g. that place ['ðæp 'pleɪs], [d] changes into [b], e.g. lead pencil ['leb 'pensl], and [n] changes into [m], e.g. main path ['meɪm 'pɑ:Ɵ].

Before [k, g] the consonant [t] changes into [k], e.g. light coat [laɪk'kɜʊt], [d] changes into [g], e.g. good company ['gug 'kʌmpənI], [n] changes into [g], e.g. woollen coat ['wuləŋ 'kɜʊt].

Before [ʃ, j] the consonant [s] changes into [ʃ], e.g. this shop ['ðɪʃ ʃɒp], [s] changes into [ჳ], e.g. Has she? [hæჳ ʃɪ].

Coalescence of [t, d, s, z] with [j] often takes place at word boundaries in colloquial speech, e.g.

[t] + [j] in: what you…['wɒʧʊ] [d] +[j] in: would you…['wʊdჳʊ] [s] +[j] in: in case you…[ɪŋ 'keɪʃʊ] [z] + [j] in: does she…['dʌჳʃi]

The coalescence is more complete in the case of [t, d] + [j], especially in question tags, e.g. didn't you ['dɪdnʧʊ], could you ['kʊdჳʊ].

These and similar cases need not be necessarily imitated by foreign learners of English, but they should be aware of the pe­culiarities of rapid colloquial speech.