Adjustments related to C-V, V-C linking

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 580.

The ability to speak English SMOOTHLY, to utter words or syllables that are appropriately connected entails the use of LINKING (or LIAISON) which is the connecting of the final sound of one word or syllable to the initial sound of the next. This phenomenon occurs with regularity in the following environments:

1. Linking r.In BrE (RP), a word said in isolation never ends in [r]. Nevertheless, in connected speech an [r] may be pronounced in some cases if the next word begins with a vowel sound.

far [fa:], [fa:r]. In isolation, or before a consonant sound, this word is, in RP, pronounced [fa:]. Butin a phrase such us far away, far out it is usually pronounced [fa:r]. In GenAm it is always [fa:r], whatever the environment it occurs in.

near [niə]. In isolation, the RP form is [niə]. But in a phrase such as near enough it

is usually pronounced [niər].

Usually, as in the cases just mentioned, the spelling includes r. The inserted rsound

is then known as linking r.It corresponds to a historical [r], now lost before a consonant or pause.

In RP, however, speakers tend to add an intrusive [r] to V+V sequenceeven when there is no r in the spelling of the preceding word. This is called intrusive[r] which does not correspond to historical r, e.g.

comma ['kɔmə], ['ka:mə]. In isolation, the RP form is ['kɔmə]. But in a phrase such

put a comma in, it is often pronounced ['kɔmər]. In GenAm it is always ['ka:mər], whatever the environment. Some more examples of intrusive r: vanilla[r] ice cream, media[r]event, formula[r] A, the idea[r] of it, Asia[r] and Africa.

2. When two identical consonants come together as a result of the juxtaposition of

two words, there is one single, elongated articulation of the consonant (i.e. native speakers do not produce the consonant sound twice):