Adjustments related to C-C linking
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 985.
Table 3
| Types of adjustments | Kinds of adjustments | |
| Adjustments related to C-C linking | 1. Assimilations= modifications of a C under the influence of a neighboring C. | |
| Adjustments related to V-V, C-V, V-C linking | 1. Liaison= connecting of the final sound of one word or syllable to the initial sound of the next. 2. Accommodation (adaptation)= modifications of C under the influence of the adjacent V or vice versa: e.g. two = labialized [t] under the influence of the rounded [u]; let = more open [e] after [l]. 3. Glottal stop / hard attack | |
| Adjustments related to sound deletion / insertion | 1. Elisions (elipsisor omission)= deletion of a sound in rapid or careless speech. 2. Smoothing= a diphthong optionally loses its second element before another vowel, or it is monophthongized: E.g.: fire ['faiə -'faə - 'fa:]. | |
| Adjustments on the syllable level | Compressionwhen two syllables, usually both weak, optionally become one. Applies only to [i], [u], syllabic consonants: [i] becomes like [j], e.g. lenient ['li:niənt] - ['li:njənt], etc. | |
| Weakening | Weakformsare alternate forms of words so reduced in their articulation that they consist of a different set of phonemes. Weakforms differ from strongforms by containing a weak vowel resultant from reduction or by elision of one or more of its phonemes, e.g. can [kən], [kn] |
Assimilation.During assimilation a given C (the assimilating C) takes on the characteristics of a neighboring C (the conditioning C). This is often misunderstood as ‘lazy' or ‘sloppy' speech, since the organs of speech involved appear to be taking the path of least resistance. However, assimilation is a universal feature of spoken language. In English it occurs frequently, both within words and between words.
Several types of assimilationcan be recognized.
1. According to the degreethe assimilating C takes on the characteristics of the
neighbouring C, assimilation may be 1) partialor 2) total.
In the phrase ten bikes, the normal form in colloquial speech would be [tem baiks],
not [ten baiks] which would sound somewhat ‘careful'. In this case, the assimilation has
been partial:the [n] has fallen under the influence of the following [b] and has adopted
its bilabiality, becoming [m]. It has not, however adopted its plosiveness. The phrase [teb baiks] would be likely if one had a severe cold!
The assimilation is totalin ten mice [tem mais], where the [n] is now identical with [m].
2. A further classification is in terms of the directionin which the assimilation works. There are three possibilities:
2.1. Regressive(or anticipatory)assimilation: the sound changes due to the influence of the following sound, e.g. ten bikes. This is particularly common in English in alveolar consonants in word-final position.
With a stop C, a final /t/ or /d/ may assimilate to a following initial [p], [k], or [b], [g] respectively, i.e. the place of articulation changes but the voiced or voiceless quality of the segment remains constant:
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| Modifications of Consonants in Connected Speech | | | Table 4 |