What is connected speech?
When we speak naturally we do not pronounce a word, stop, then say the next word in the sentence. Fluent speech flows with a rhythm and the words bump into each other. To make speech flow smoothly the way we pronounce the end and beginning of some words can change depending on the sounds at the beginning and end of those words.
These changes are described as features of connected speech.
Consonant to vowel linking - when the first word ends with a consonant sound and the second word begins with a vowel sound. (the link is shown in red joining the linked words. These examples also show where the weak form schwa would be pronounced.)
Vowel to vowel linking - when one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel, another sound, a /w/ or /j/ can be added depending on the particular sounds to make a smooth transition. In these examples the link is shown in red along with the phonemic symbol for the sound which is added to make the link smooth.
examples:
Linking / Intruding 'r'
In standard British English the letter 'r' after a vowel sound at the end of word is often not pronounced. However, when the following word begins with a vowel the /r/ sound is pronounced to make a smooth link.
Intruding 'r'
And
Can
Of
Have
Should
This is a very common feature of spoken English which is often found in grammar words such as prepositions and articles and also in many words with more than one syllable. It is never stressed.
In the example sentence below the weak form schwa is shown by its phonemic symbol, which looks like an upside down 'e'.
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| photo credit: kreatikar |
These changes are described as features of connected speech.
Sounds link
Linking is a way of joining the pronunciation of two words so that they are easy to say and flow together smoothly. In English there are different ways that this happens.Consonant to vowel linking - when the first word ends with a consonant sound and the second word begins with a vowel sound. (the link is shown in red joining the linked words. These examples also show where the weak form schwa would be pronounced.)
Vowel to vowel linking - when one word ends with a vowel sound and the next word begins with a vowel, another sound, a /w/ or /j/ can be added depending on the particular sounds to make a smooth transition. In these examples the link is shown in red along with the phonemic symbol for the sound which is added to make the link smooth.
examples:
- my ears / my years
- I earn / I yearn
- I want to/w/eat.
- Please do/w/it.
- Do/w/it.
- Go/w/out
Linking / Intruding 'r'
In standard British English the letter 'r' after a vowel sound at the end of word is often not pronounced. However, when the following word begins with a vowel the /r/ sound is pronounced to make a smooth link.
- The car is here.
- His hair is dark. (in His hair was dark, it's not pronounced)
- A year is 12 months long.
Intruding 'r'
- The media / r /are to blame.
- Law(r)and order.
These three sound the same:
- ...that man I saw over there
- ...that man with the cold sore over there.
- ...that hurdler likes to soar over there.
Weak forms
There are a large number of words in English which can have a "full" form and a "weak" form. This is because English is a stressed timed language, and in trying to make the intervals between stressed syllables equal, to give the phrase rhythm, we tend to swallow non-essential words. Thus, conjunctions, pronouns, prepositions, auxiliaries and articles are often lost, causing comprehension problems for students, particularly for those whose language is syllable timed. Some examples of words which have weak forms are:And
- fish and chips (fish´n chips)
- a chair and a table (a chair ´n a table)
Can
- She can speak Spanish better than I can (The first "can" is the weak form, the second the full form.)
Of
- A pint of beer
- That´s the last of the wine!
Have
- Have you finished? (weak)
- Yes, I have. (full)
Should
- Well, you should have told me. (Both "should" and "have" are weak here)
This is a very common feature of spoken English which is often found in grammar words such as prepositions and articles and also in many words with more than one syllable. It is never stressed.
In the example sentence below the weak form schwa is shown by its phonemic symbol, which looks like an upside down 'e'.
