ELISION IN CONSONANT CLUSTERS

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 592.

Words always strong in an unstressed position

To be (is, are), to do (do, does), to have (has, have, had) when they function as main verbs;

When, then (adverbs);

On, off, in;

Will (modal verb);

That (demonstrative pronoun);

Some (indefinite pronoun);

What, where, how, which, with.

E. g.: For some (certain) reason they didn't arrive on time. On the ground floor there are three rooms. Then go and help him. That dress is more beautiful than this one.

There are three degrees of the reduction of strong forms.

1. the reduction of the length of a vowel without changing its quality (quantitative reduction)

E. g.: you [jH] → [ju], me [mJ] → [mi].

2. The reduction of the quality of a vowel (qualitative reduction)

E. g.: her [hE:] → [hq], for [fL] → [fq].

3. The omission of a vowel or a consonant sound (zero reduction)

E. g.: I am → I'm [aIm]; I have → I've [aIv]; does not → doesn't [dAznt].

1. Elision of [t], [d], [h].

Elision means the dropping of a sound or sounds either within a word or at a junction of words in rapid colloquial speech. Formal speech tends to retain the full form under the influence of spelling.

A group of consonants may be reduced by an elision of [t] or [d] between two other consonants: e.g. friends [frenz] ; mostly ['mqVslI]

Pronouns with the initial [h] and the auxiliary verbs have, has, had commonly lose [h] when they are unstressed within an utterance.

e.g. : The people have gone. [Dq 'pJpl qv `gPn]

She gave him his breakfast. [SI 'geIv Im Iz `brekfqst]

Sound [h] is pronounced in those words when they are initial in an utterance or when they are stressed.

2. Clusters of two identical consonants

It must be remembered that elision of consonants is not always permissible. In general a double consonant at a word junction mustn't be reduced by elision:

e.g.: What time ['wPt`taIm]; with this [wID`DIs]

In any such phrases the two consonants should be run together smoothly without a break.

The elision of one of a boundary cluster of two consonants sometimes occurs in very rapid speech, but it is usually characterized as a vulgarism:

e.g.: He went away [hI 'wen q`weI]

e.g.: I want to come [aI 'wPn q `kAm]

Note the traditional orthographical rendering of such careless and vulgar pronunciation as "I wonna come" – I want to come; "Gimme a cake" – Give me a cake; "I gonna do it" – I am going to do it; etc., especially in American texts.