Descriptive Grammar of English Part 1 Phonetics and

Descriptive Grammar of English Part 1: Phonetics and Phonology dr Iwona Kokorniak (with contribution from dr Jarosław Weckwerth) 4 th January 2009 1

English assimilation g g g Alveolar plosive and nasal sounds (t d n) Change their place of articulation To that of the following sound – velar or bilabial 2

English assimilation: alveolar plosive /t/ > /p/ before /p, b, m/ e. g. : g that person g sat boldly g fat mouse g 3

English assimilation: alveolar plosive /t/ > /k/ before /k, g/ e. g. : g fat king g smart girl g 4

English assimilation: alveolar plosive /d/ > /b/ before /p, b, m/ e. g. : g bad person g bad boy g bad mother g 5

English assimilation: alveolar plosive /d/ > /g/ before /k, g/ e. g. : g bad king g bad girl g 6

English assimilation: alveolar nasal /n/ > /m/ before /p, b, m/ e. g. : g sun bed g sun protector g sun movement g 7

English assimilation: alveolar nasal /n/ > /ŋ/ before /k, g/ e. g. : g run quickly g run gracefully g 8

English assimilation: fricatives g g g Alveolar fricatives /s z/ can change only to post-alveolar fricatives /s z/ >/ʃ ʒ/ But no change in voicing!!! /s/ > /∫/ before /∫, t∫, d, j/ /z/ > /ʒ/ before /∫, t∫, d, j/ 9

English assimilation: fricatives g g /s/ > /∫/ before /∫, t∫, d , j / E. g. this church /z/ > /ʒ/ before /∫, t∫, d , j/ E. g. these churches 10

Alv. fricative place assimilation this shoe ðɪs ʃu: ðɪʃ ʃu: only if a post-alv. fricative on the right 11

English assimilation: summary It is an optional process g In connected speech g More frequent in less formal situations g One of phonostylistic processes g 12

A special case would you? wʊd ju wʊdʒu place assimilation (? ) coalescence 13

Coalescence g Alveolar plosive or fricative Followed by /j/ g 1 st step: post-alveolar affricate or fricative, /j/ stays g g 2 nd step: /j/ disappears 14

Coalescent assimilation g Frequent phrases with you: l what g you, could you, did you But may also occur with other cases of /j/ l this year, bad Europe, is young, what use, etc. 15

Other assimilations: manner Assimilation of manner g Only in really fast speech g in the ɪnðə ɪnnə 16

Other assimilations: manner Usually affects /ð/ in unstressed words g An example of progressive = perserverative assimilation (left to right) g 17

Other assimilations: voice Very rare in English g Only for a few fixed phrases g l have to, of course 18

Other assimilations: voice 'hæv tə 'hæftə əv 'kɔːrs əf'kɔːrs 19

Elision = deletion Another phonostylistic process g Sounds are elided = deleted g 20

Elision g Alveolar plosive /t d/ elision g The most frequent g Quite similar to Polish 21

Alv. plosive elision g An alv. plosive may be deleted l At the end of a syllable l After a consonant of the same voicing l If another consonant follows (but not /h/) 22

Alveolar plosive elision g g In other words, elision is common when: a voiceless continuant + /t/ followed by a word with an initial consonant /st, ft, ∫t/ + consonant e. g. : ‘next day’, ‘just one’, 23

Alveolar plosive elision g g g a voiced continuant + /d/ followed by a word with an initial consonant /nd, ld, zd, ðd, vd/ + consonant e. g. : ‘bend back’ 24

Alveolar plosive elision g g g word final clusters voiceless stop/affricate +/t/: /pt, kt, t∫t/ voiced stop/affricate +/d/: /bd, gd/ may lose the final alveolar stop when the following word has an initial consonant, e. g. ‘helped me’, lagged behind’, ‘judged fairly’ 25

/h/ elision g g g the loss of /h/ in pronominal weak forms e. g. ‘him, his’ and other consonantal elisions typical of weak forms auxiliary ‘have’: could have 26

/h/ elision 27

Elision of /ə/ g g weak vowels are dropped in casual speech, especially /ə/ initial /ə/ is often elided particularly when followed by a continuant and preceded by a wordfinal consonant e. g. ‘not alone’ [not `ləυn], ‘he was annoyed’ 28

Elision of /ə/ g g When final /ə/ occurs with following linking /r/ and word initial vowel, /ə/ may be elided, e. g. ‘father and son’ 29

Elision of /ə/ g When a weak vowel precedes /w, l, r/ then the vowel is deleted and the next consonant will become syllabic. am 30

A good source g Maidment, J. and Garcia Lecumberri, M. L. : English transcription course 31

Another good source g Notes on pronunciation and phonetics in Wells’ and Jones’ dictionaries 32

Yet another good source Collins, B. and Mees, I. Practical phonetics and phonology g ‘The surprises of connected speech’ g 33

Connected speech Assimilation and elision are phonostylistic processes g Because they depend on the style of speaking g Formal vs. informal, slow vs. fast g (But remember: voicing assimilation in Polish is obligatory) g 34

Connected speech But there also other processes in connected speech g E. g. linking and intrusive R (examples of liaison) g And weak forms g 35

Rhoticity g. Standard British English, Australian, New Zealand etc. are non-rhotic g/r/ pronounced only before a vowel 36

All varieties /raɪt/ pride /praɪd/ bury /'beri/ right 37

Non-rhotic varieties /kɑː/ stored /stɔːd/ word /wɜːd/ car 38

Liaison – Linking R g g British English – a non-rhotic variety It retains word-final post-vocalic /r/ as a linking form when the following word begins with a vowel and where ‘r’ occurs in the spelling Thus, spelling justification needed for linking /r/ 39

Linking R /fɑːr aʊt/ 4 -8 /fɔːr eɪt/ far out 40

Intrusive R g. By analogy to linking R. . . g. . . in non-rhotic varieties only g/r/ may be pronounced if /ɑː ɜː ɔː ə/ gare followed by a vowel 41

Intrusive R g there is no spelling justification for /r/ to appear law and order /lɔːr ənd ɔːdə/ 42

Intrusive R /spɑːr ɪn/ drawing /drɔːrɪŋ/ the idea is /aɪdɪər ɪz/ a spa in the UK 43

Linking J g g g In vocalic junctures - where the first word ends in / i: ı eı aı oı/ another word starts with a vowel a slight linking / j / may be heard between two vowels, e. g. my arms 44

Linking J: Zoom 45

Linking J g not sufficient to be equated with phonemic /j/, e. g. ‘my ears’ vs. my years 46

Linking W g g linking [ w ] may be heard between a final /u: υə aυ/ and a following vowel e. g. ’two-eyed’, ’too wide’ 47

Casual speech processes g Assimilation Regressive vs. Progressive l Of place of articulation vs. Manner or art. Vs. voicing l g g Elision Liaison 48

Weak forms Consider the ‘theoretical’ form g This book is for John g ðɪs bʊk ɪz fɔː dʒɒn g Actually, in connected speech ðɪs bʊks fə dʒɒn 49

Weak forms ðɪs bʊks fə dʒɒn This may sometimes (but not always!) be reflected in the spelling: g This book’s for John g 50

Weak forms In normal speech. . . g. . . function words. . . g. . . appear practically always. . . g. . . in their weak forms g 51

Function words? Articles g Prepositions g Pronouns g Modal & auxiliary verbs g 52

Weak forms g an eɪ ə æn ən Strong You say a book, but an apple. q Weak q I swallowed a fly. An alligator bit him. 53

Weak forms the ði: ðə, ði Are you the William Shakespeare. The tiger ate the hunter. 54

Weak forms g and ænd ənd, ən, n Trifle or jelly? Ttrifle and jelly, please! Bread an(d) butter. 55

Weak forms g for fɔː|| fɔːr fə || ər f What did you do that for? I’m doing it for fun. 56

Weak forms g he g him g his g her hi: hɪm hɪz hi, i ɪm ɪz hɜ: ||hɝ: hə, ə || ər, ər h 57

Weak forms g have g had g can g do hæv hæd kæn du: həv, v həd, d kən də, du 58

Weak forms g Easier to say where they are not used – exceptions: 59

Weak forms not used 1. When the word is stressed or ‘cited’ I said Tom AND Ann rather than Tom OR Ann. g How is the word ‘FOR’ spelt? g 60

Weak forms not used 2. When at the end of a sentence or phrase (‘stranded’) What are you looking at? g I know I can. g 61

Weak forms not used 3. Usually, prepositions before pronouns at ends of sentences I was looking for you. g Stop staring at him. g 62

Weak forms not used 4. When the word is used as a ‘full’, meaningful, ‘lexical’ form I usually have lunch at one. g We have to go. g He never does his homework. g 63

Weak forms – Special cases g Negative contractions: No weak forms dəʊnt || doʊnt l couldn’t kʊdənt l won’t wəʊnt || woʊnt l can’t kɑːnt || kænt ənt || wɑːzənt l wasn’t wɒz l don’t 64

Weak forms – Special cases aren’t ɑːnt || ɑːrnt =aunt 65

Weak forms – Special cases the, to, do, you g Different forms before vowels the apple the man əl æp ðə mæn to ask to go ði tu ɑːsk tə goʊ 66

Weak forms – Special cases have g Only weak when used as a modal/auxiliary verb g g /aɪv/ I have lunch at ten /hæv/ I have done it 67

Weak forms – Special cases there’s (=there is, there has) g Weakest form: ðəz || ərz ð 68

Weak forms – Special cases that g Only weak when used as a conjunction g I know that you. . . pronoun) g I know that! ‘that’) /ðət/ (the relative /ðæt/ (the demonstrative 69

Weak forms – Special cases g g Some weak forms may have a special representation in the spelling (‘contraction’) But even if it’s not used, a weak form may be employed 70

Weak forms – Special cases g Sometimes weak forms of different words are the same I’d = I had or I would I’d done it. I’d do it. 71

Weak forms – Special cases it’s = it is or it has It’s been nice. It’s nice. 72

Weak forms – Special cases g Even if they’re spelt differently, the sound may be the same: /ðætsəkɑː/ That’s her car /ðætsəkɑː/ That’s a car 73

Weak forms – Spelling traps He must of been here ? ? ? g Quite a frequent error among native speakers because: g /mʌstəv/ must of = must have 74

Weak forms – Traps Some words that look as if they must have a weak form g Do not have one: I, your, by, my, nor, so, when, one, up, off, on, then mine, yours, hers, theirs g 75

Weak forms – Extreme g gonna gəʊɪŋ tə assimilation: gəʊɪntə smoothing: gəɪntə elision: gənə ‘citation’ form: 76

Weak forms g Result from l Elisions l Assimilations l Vowel reductions 77

Weak forms ɪt ɪz ɪts of /ɪ/ l Progressive voice assimilation l Elision 78

Weak forms ænd ənd l Vowel reduction ənd ən l Elision 79

Weak forms hɪm ɪm l Elision kæn kən l Vowel reduction 80

Reduced vowels g Notice: most of the time, English has reduced vowels in unstressed syllables The so-called schwa is the most important one g A mid central vowel g 81

The schwa Polish • /ɨ/ ə • • Polish /ɛ/ Polish /a/ • 82

The schwa It is different from any Polish vowel! g Polish does not have reduced vowels g 83

Other unstressed vowels /ɪ/ In many unstressed syllables with g E. g. houses, wanted, record, detect, effect g Conservative variant in sickness, private, careless g 84

Other unstressed vowels /i/ <-y>, e. g. happy, lucky g before another vowel e. g. g radiate /'reɪdieɪt/ 85