Understanding Connected Speech in English

Connected Speech in English: Understanding Natural Pronunciation

In everyday speech, words are not pronounced in isolation. Instead, they are often linked together in a continuous flow, which can make understanding individual words more challenging. This natural phenomenon is called connected speech. It refers to the way words influence one another in spoken language, causing changes in sounds and blending them together.

What is Connected Speech?

Connected speech occurs because speech is a continuous stream of sounds, where words often blend together instead of being spoken distinctly with clear pauses in between. This happens because, in natural conversation, we prioritize ease of communication over perfect clarity. As a result, certain words lose sounds, and others may change to make pronunciation quicker and smoother.

For instance, when native speakers say “an apple,” the words may sound more like “anapple,” where the “n” sound in "an" links with the "a" sound in "apple." This connection makes the speech flow more naturally and efficiently. Similarly, in some cases, sounds can change based on their surroundings, as we will explore in detail below.

Types of Changes in Connected Speech

There are several ways in which connected speech affects pronunciation. These include assimilation, catenation, elision, and intrusion.

Assimilation

Assimilation occurs when the sound of one word influences the sound of a neighboring word. This often happens with consonants. For example, in the phrase “last year,” the “t” sound in “last” changes when spoken quickly, becoming a /ʧ/ sound (like the "ch" in “church”). So, instead of saying “last year” clearly with separate sounds, it sounds more like “lasht year.”

This phenomenon also happens with words like “Hyde Park,” where the “d” sound in “Hyde” may change to a /b/ sound before the /p/ in “Park,” making it sound more like “Hyb Park.”

Progressive Assimilation

In progressive assimilation, the sound of a word is influenced by the preceding sound. For example, when you say “There’s not much cider left” quickly, the "c" in "cider" changes because it follows the /ʧ/ sound in "much," becoming a /ʃ/ sound (like "sh"). As a result, the phrase sounds like “There’s not much shider left,” with the /ʃ/ replacing the expected /s/ sound.

Catenation (Linking)

Catenation happens when a consonant at the end of one word links with a vowel at the beginning of the next word. This is a common feature of natural English speech. For instance, “an apple” is often pronounced as “anapple” without a pause between the two words.

In some cases, the consonant sound changes when it links with the following vowel. For example, “that orange” might sound like “thadorange,” where the “t” sound becomes a “d” sound because of the following vowel sound.

Additionally, in some accents like British English, the “r” at the end of words like “harbour” may not be pronounced unless it is followed by a word beginning with a vowel. This is known as linking r. For example, “My father asked” in British English might sound like “My fatherr asked.”

Elision

Elision refers to the omission or dropping of sounds, usually in rapid speech. This often occurs with the final sound of a word, especially when it is followed by another word that begins with a different sound. For example, “left back” might sound more like “lef back,” with the /t/ sound in “left” being dropped.

Elision also occurs with function words, like “cup of coffee,” which is often pronounced as “cuppa coffee,” where the “of” is shortened and sounds like “ə.” Similarly, the word "sandwich" is often pronounced without the “d,” sounding more like “sæn.wɪdʒ” rather than the full pronunciation.

Intrusion

Intrusion happens when an extra sound appears between two words to make them easier to pronounce. This typically involves a /j/, /w/, or /r/ sound. For instance, in the phrase “he asked,” you may hear an extra sound between “he” and “asked,” making it sound like “heyasked.” Similarly, “do it” may sound like “dewit,” with the added /w/ sound.

An example of intrusive /r/ occurs in phrases like “law and order,” where the /r/ sound is inserted between “law” and “and,” making it sound like “law-r-and order.”

Why is Connected Speech Important?

Understanding connected speech is crucial for both listening and speaking in English. When listening to native speakers, recognizing connected speech can help you understand rapid conversation. Additionally, when speaking, using connected speech makes you sound more natural and fluent.

In summary, connected speech includes the blending, changing, or omitting of sounds between words, which makes speech flow more smoothly. These changes, like assimilation, catenation, elision, and intrusion, are not random; they happen for efficiency and ease of pronunciation. By practicing connected speech, learners can improve their comprehension and speaking skills in real-world situations.

References

• Roach, P. (2009). English phonetics and phonology: A practical course (4th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• Underhill, A. (2005). Sound Foundations: Learning and Teaching Pronunciation. Macmillan Education.